Stephanie was excited to escort her first mother-daughter visitors to see the roadside flowers. Her unsuspecting guests were in for a treat as spring was in full bloom.
“Mrs. Stephanie, can’t you even give us a hint?” begged Olivia from the back seat of the squad car.
Stephanie looked at Loretta next to her, then to the rearview mirror. “Alright, the hint is on the seat next to you.”
Olivia turned to find a Sheriff's jacket. She scrambled to check the pockets, but her hands returned empty. Frustrated, Olivia held the coat up, inspecting the front and back.
“I give up,” she declared.
“It’s not something you can see,” suggested Stephanie.
It wasn’t until Olivia pulled the jacket closer to her face that she found her answer.
“What is that—” Olivia stopped as she buried her nose in the back of the jacket.
Loretta turned around to see if her daughter would come up for air.
“What did you find?” Loretta asked through the holes in the plexiglass barrier between them.
“This is amazing,” replied Olivia when she finally pulled back the jacket from her face.
“Momma, you have to smell this,” claimed Olivia as she pressed the jacket against the plexiglass.
“I think it can wait, honey,” replied Loretta, her eyes fixed on the road. “I believe the real thing is just up ahead.”
As Stephanie slowed the car, Olivia abandoned the jacket and struggled to see out the front of the vehicle.
“I don’t see anything,” the teenager complained. “Where is it?”
“Definitely close now,” Stephanie teased as she applied the brakes.
It wasn’t until the car came to a complete stop that Olivia found the patch of flowers just off the side of the road.
“Momma, open this door,” she demanded. “I’m not a criminal.”
Once released from the back seat, Olivia took her mother’s hand and drug her straight to the area emitting the most beautiful fragrance she had ever smelled.
Now in full bloom, the tiny petals waved brilliantly in the sunlight. While Stephanie watched from behind, mother and daughter took a knee, running their hands across the face of the dense flowerbed.
“Momma, have you ever felt anything like this?” Olivia asked.
Her mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “No, never."
Olivia looked back at Stephanie, who was leaning against her squad car.
“Why did the back of your jacket smell like this?”
“Because I laid down on the flowers,” she replied. “You should try it.”
Olivia leaned over with her hands pressed down firmly. “I feel like I’m testing out a mattress,” she said.
“They’ll hold you,” Stephanie announced. “You won’t hurt them.”
While Loretta was still cautious, Olivia scrambled to lie down.
“Look, Momma, I’m floating!” she yelled. Then, with a thousand tiny springs underneath her, Olivia rolled over several times. “I want to smell like this all over,” she said.
Stephanie laughed. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Olivia stopped long enough to ask a question. “What do you mean?”
“I’m talking about your father.”
“Wait, my dad was here?”
“Yup, and he rolled around just like that,” Stephanie replied as she walked up behind Loretta, who was still kneeling.
Stephanie put her hand on Loretta’s shoulder. “I wish you could have seen your husband,” she said.
Loretta smiled through her tears, watching Olivia roll back and forth.
"It’s okay,” she replied. “I can see him just fine.”
—
Friday morning, Lucy heard a pound at the door. On her toes, she looked through the peephole to see Eric Finch standing on the front porch.
“I need to talk to Zeke,” said Eric. “We’ve been hacked.”
“You mean attacked? You got attacked?” Lucy asked. “Are you okay?”
“No, my computer.”
“Your computer got attacked?”
“Yes, sort of,” Eric replied.
“Is it okay?”
They both yelled in the house at the same time. “Zeke!”
Zeke appeared from the kitchen. “Hello, Eric.”
“Everything I had on my computer. All the files and articles are gone. Someone stole them and deleted everything.”
Zeke led Eric into the living room. “Come inside before the neighbors call an emergency meeting of the gossip squad.”
With the door shut, Eric continued. “All my work. It’s gone.”
“What about your floppy drives?”
“Sure, I have backups, but the point is they have everything,” he replied. “And know everything.”
“Who is they?” asked Lucy.
“That’s why I came to you. I thought you might know who would have the resources to do that.”
Zeke had Eric take a seat.
“Slow down a bit,” Zeke suggested. “How did you discover this?”
“I was online at the time, uploading some files, and I watched as everything disappeared before my eyes,” Eric replied. “There was nothing I could do.”
“You were right to come here. I’m sorry about the invasion, but I think I know what they were looking for.”
“What do you mean, why would someone want to hack into the Chronicle?” Eric asked. “Is this related to that girl and her mother I’ve seen around town?”
Just then, Olivia descended the stairs into the living room.
“Hello, Mr. Finch,” she said. “I’m Olivia.”
“You know who I am?”
Olivia smiled and took a seat in a nearby recliner. “Anne and Rebecca told me all about you,” she replied. “And I read your article, of course.”
“I’m starting to regret writing it.”
“This is good, actually,” announced Zeke, who now had the full attention of everyone in the room.
“How is this good?” asked Eric.
For the next twenty minutes, Zeke laid out everything for Eric, including Ames Hill, Father Gregory, and the guests staying at the house.
“This is unreal,” said Eric, sitting back on the sofa. “But I’m still waiting for the good part.”
“This is good for two reasons,” Zeke explained. “For one, we know someone is listening, which may help us uncover who they are. Second, your opinion on Playing Heaven was not supportive, which means you are not a threat, and therefore not in danger.”
“So my unsympathetic writing actually helped in this case?” Eric asked. “But I don’t feel that way anymore.”
Zeke paced around the living room. “But they don't know that. Which is why we need you to keep up appearances, do more articles with fake interviews, and maybe throw in some sarcasm.”
Olivia jumped up. “I can help with sarcasm!”
“I may take you up on that,” Eric told her.
Zeke finished pacing. “I have a friend I’ll call for technical support,” he said, now walking Eric toward the door.
Zeke provided Eric with some instructions on managing his computer files in the meantime.
“How do you know about this stuff?” asked Eric.
“I worked with the I.T. department for a while at the corporate office.”
Eric stopped before the door was opened. “Zeke, are we about to bring down another Heathrow?”
“Yes, something like that,” he replied.
“Count me in,” said Eric. “They took my files.”
“Count me in,” said Olivia. “They took my father.”
—
Not long after Eric left, Zeke picked up the phone and dialed his old friend. Marcus Winstead was Zeke’s partner in crime back in their days together at the Heathrow Insurance Company.
Their numerous projects often led to new innovations which the company may or may not have put to use. The pair had a gift for turning the rejects into profitable side ventures, and after several years, their portfolio included patents and licensing deals.
A talented computer programmer, Marcus was also Zeke’s go-to guy for anything related to technology.
“Zeke the freak!” Marcus chanted after picking up on the first ring. “It’s been a while. How’s married life treating you?”
“Things are very well, thanks,” replied Zeke.
I’ve got a favor to ask, but I think you’re going to enjoy it,” he began. “You remember the local paper here?”
“You mean the one that got burned down by your Mayor who wanted to destroy evidence he was being blackmailed by the CEO of Heathrow?”
“That’s the one,” Zeke replied. “Someone hacked into their computer trying to gather information on us. They copied a bunch of files and wiped the drive.”
“You mean the Famous Four are back in action?”
“It looks that way,” Zeke replied. “But we may have a bigger problem this time and need to know who we are dealing with. I thought you might like to get in on the fun.”
“I got just the thing for you. Give me a few hours, and I’ll get a disk out to you first thing tomorrow.”
“Thanks. I look forward to seeing what you come up with,” said Zeke.
When they had hung up, Zeke looked over to see Lucy watching him from the kitchen doorway.
“I think you’re having fun with this,” she teased.
“Says the lady with the green footsteps,” he replied.
“I can’t help it if I’m special.”
Zeke approached and drew Lucy toward him. In the middle of a long kiss, the refrigerator door opened behind them.
“Sorry,” said Olivia with her face buried in the fridge. “Just getting some juice. I didn’t see anyone kissing.”
“Sounds like another trip to the grocery store is in order,” said Lucy. “Because you won’t see any juice in there either.”
“I’ll go,” Zeke said to Lucy. “We can continue this conversation later.”
—
It had only been a week since the auditions had been held for the big play, and all the actors were ready for the first practice. The park was full of excited children, parents with strollers, and pets on leashes.
Anne and Rebecca sat in chairs facing the concrete stage while actors gathered around. Olivia stood beside the platform, ready to assist with props.
“Today, we are going to run through lines from scene eight—the meeting in town hall,” announced Rebecca. “And this is Olivia. She’ll be helping. A lot.”
Towering above most of the actors, Olivia raised her voice. “Hello, everyone. We have some fruits and vegetables here you can use as props.”
“This is a piece of cardboard,” observed one of the children, holding up a banana.
“You’ll just have to pretend for now,” replied Anne. “That’s pretty much what acting is anyway.”
“Just read your lines, and we’ll talk you through the action,” Rebecca added.
Behind the girls, Father Vance sat in his golf cart, accompanied by Anne’s cat and a box of donuts. The donuts were disappearing quickly as children visited the cart.
Father Vance watched the play practice while trying to work on his Sunday sermon. He was glad to be back outside with the sun filtering through the trees in the park.
Looking out over the crowd, an unfamiliar vehicle caught Father Vance’s attention. His head turned as he followed the car as it drove slowly around the town square.
Sheriff Stephanie was standing in the distance with some parents, and Father Vance could see she was also tracking the vehicle. Their eyes met just about the time the car continued around the square a second time.
When the car pulled into a parking space, Father Vance dropped his notebook and started the cart.
He called Olivia, who was nearby.
“Yes, Uncle Shredder?” she asked.
“Stay here, please,” he replied.
The black sedan with darkened windows sat facing the crowd of children. Stephanie excused herself from her conversation and strolled casually toward the car, frequently glancing at the golf cart also en route.
While there was no movement to be seen, the level of discomfort was growing, and Father Vance positioned his cart in front of the car.
As Stephanie approached the vehicle, a rear window lowered. Father Vance strained to see who it was.
A familiar voice came from inside the vehicle. “I apologize, Sheriff. I just wanted to watch the play practice. I didn’t mean to cause you any concern,” the voice said.
Stephanie motioned for Father Vance to join her at the car.
“Hello, Mr. Mayor,” she said.
“You’ll have to start calling me Mr. Davies, I guess,” the former Mayor replied. “I just wanted to make a quick stop before my driver here took me to start my house arrest.”
Father Vance leaned over and smiled. “It’s good to see you back in town,” he said. “How have you been?”
“Prison wasn’t that bad,” he replied. “I’m a politician. Congratulations, by the way, I’m sorry I missed your wedding. My wife said things have been interesting around here lately.”
“Among other things, the news crews came asking about you the other day.”
“Sorry about that,” Mr. Davies replied as he lowered his head. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to redeem myself after what I put this town through, but I sure hope I get the chance to try.”
Father Vance looked at his wife, then back to Mr. Davies. “I suspect it will be a long road back, but one we’ll get to see together.”
“Sheriff Stephanie, Father Vance, is there anything I can do for you?” he asked.
“There is one thing,” Sheriff Stephanie replied. “Do you know anyone in Ames Hill?”
—
Read chapter 14, when the former Mayor goes to church.
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