The Harpies: The Dichotomy of ‘Moody and Dark’ Juxtaposed Against ‘Optimistic and Light’; Inner Demons Vs Inner Angels; Self-Discovery and Hope Vs Despair and Disillusionment

By Sabrina Zubiri

In 2004, four sisters embarked upon a cross-country road-trip to fulfill a promise to uncover a long buried tragedy in their mother Demi’s, past. They went on the journey in their mother’s old school bus used in 1969 on her trip to Woodstock with a group of friends.
The flawed and imperfect sisters’ trip crosses the country and introduces them to characters from Demi’s past. These characters will provide the clues and sometimes the answers.
The road-trip hinges on flashback sequences from the character’s collective memories of the political upheavals of the late 60’s and early 70’s. The ripple effects of those upheavals impacted that group and changed their lives forever!
How can they solve Demi’s mystery and an uncovered conspiracy? How does an old key, a hidden map, a missing girl, a Weather Underground bombing, an unfound treasure and a couple of murders all connect?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669842194

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Copyright © 2022 by Sabrina Zubiri.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/24/2022

Xlibris

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BOOK TWO

The Past Beats Inside

Me Like a Second Heart

- John Banville

CONTENTS

BOOK TWO

THE PAST BEATS INSIDE ME

LIKE A SECOND HEART

Chapter 1   Looking For My Rainbow

Liberty Bell Motel Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Breakfast, Diner Next Door to the Motel

The Frick Motel

The Cave Jazz Club

Frick Motel

Fairmount Park

The Gateway Motel

Chapter 2   Can’t Find My Way Home

Demi’s Farmhouse

Fairmount Park

L.C. Doyle Riverboat, Mississippi River

Demi’s Farmhouse

L.C.Doyle Riverboat, Mississippi River

Demi’s Farmhouse

The Gateway Motel

Demi’s Farmhouse

The Gateway Motel

Kansas City, Missouri

Law Offices

CHARLENE

The Revere Coffeeshop

Truman Motel

Club Shazam

Chapter 3   What Condition My Condition Was In

Truman Motel

The Diner

Farmhouse

DENA

PAX

The Bus

Demi’s Farmhouse

The Diner

Demi’s Farmhouse

YR Ranch

THE BUS

Waterfall at Geary State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area

THE DINER

Waterfall at Geary State Park

Chapter 4   Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream

Waterfall at Geary State Park

Waterfall at Geary State Park

Wichita, Kansas

Old Cowtown Motel

Demi’s Farmhouse

Old Cowtown Motel

DION

FRANKIE

Old Cowtown Motel

FITZ and RED

CRASH

COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO LOUNGE

Addendum

About The Author

Qb7

SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS

For those of you that enjoy music while reading,

and depending on your mood, here are three distinct

playlists that influenced the creation of the story.

*Note: The songs are predominately from the eras

of the ‘60s, ’70s and early 2000s.

But, some are included for the style, mood or vibe of the story.

The Harpies - Demi’s Playlist

Spotify Playlist

The Harpies - Sonny and Cy’s Playlist

Spotify Playlist

The Harpies Vibe

(Thea, Freddie, Dusty, Kate and Harmony)

CHAPTER ONE

Looking For My Rainbow

Sunday Morning, June 20th, 2004

Liberty Bell Motel

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Thea turned down the radio when she heard the light tap on the door.

She swung the door open, and Kate’s voice rang out, Good morning, sunshine! I took a hike this morning and saw you headed out for your run right as I got back, but you didn’t see me waving to you… Oh, boy, it’s going to be a glorious day; I can just feel it… she sang out as she rushed into the room. What do ya think? She whirled around to show off her short, tapestry bolero vest in a red, gold, and green pattern, a white tank top, and paisley patterned stretch-velvet bellbottoms in burgundy, red, and caramel, Converse shoes, and her hair tousled into an updo with butterfly hairpins.

Thea looked at her with no expression. Finally, her voice sounded weary as she asked, Could you, just once, wake up tired and grouchy like the rest of us… just once?

Kate muttered, Hmm, someone sure woke up on the wrong side of the bed…

Thea continued, Is Dusty finished in your shower? Freddie is hogging our bathroom…

Kate nodded and handed her the key to room number nine.

Freddie opened the bathroom door part way. Maybe if you didn’t go out for your run this morning, you could have gotten in the shower first. I know I look like I roll out of bed looking like this… as she motioned a circle around her face. But it takes some effort… she noticed Thea headed towards the door with a towel, and Freddie called after her, Try a little more mascara and a darker eyeshadow; it’d help your… She flinched at the sound of the door as it slammed shut.

Kate frowned. Someone’s got a bee in their bonnet… what’s up her ass?

Freddie answered, "Oh, we got up early… before she went for her run, well, she got up early to call Demi and Sonny to fill them in… as she leaned forward to apply some more mascara. Then, she explained, I needed just a bit more rest so I went back to sleep." Kate nodded sympathetically.

"Demi confirmed Zack asked about the house in Fairmount Park… she found the letter and read it to us. You were right; he had read about the fire in an old newspaper. So he sent her the article he clipped out. He wanted her to go down to Philly to look at it to ensure the walls and, get this, and the fireplace was still standing. She leaned back to look at Kate with the wand of her mascara raised for emphasis. She picked up her brush to fix her hair. And then when he saw her in Hawaii, he brought it up again. She asked him why the third degree… he said some sort of blah blah blah, about it being sentimental from when he was a kid, in high school, you know. But one interesting note? She was familiar with the place. She said she went with Zack a few times for picnics… and, come on… probs to make out a little. Right?"

Kate looked embarrassed. Could we not talk about Demi making out?

Freddie rolled her eyes. What-Ev’s.

Kate was confused. So Thea should have been happy… our instincts were right… So that’s good… So why was she in a bad mood?

Freddie pursed her lips, tilted her head to the side, and looked at Kate. "Straight A students always want to get their homework in early… as she bounced around to get her skinny black jeans pulled up. She threw off her robe as she zipped her pants and pulled on her white Tee shirt over an elaborate pink bra, careful to avoid mussing her hair. She pulled on a black vest embroidered with white doves, red and pink flowers, and ivy garlands. She sat on the edge of the bed and pulled on mesh pumps, and finished buckling them at the ankle. She is pissed that she can’t figure it out. We started with one mystery to solve, and now we have like five? She whirled around and exclaimed, Ta Da!… We look awesome together!" As they both looked in the mirror at the reflection of themselves.

Kate looked in the mirror as she pointed to Freddie’s vest Vintage?

Freddie nodded.

Saa-weet, said Kate to Freddie’s reflection with a thumbs up.

In room number nine, Thea came out of the shower with the towel wrapped around her body; she used the extra hand towel to continue to dry her hair.

Thea asked Dusty, Do you mind… she pointed to the comb on the dresser.

Dusty shrugged. Not at all. It’s Kate’s. Thea smiled slightly.

Dusty asked, What’s wrong? You look… uh… annoyed?

Thea sighed. I’m just tired… disappointed, I guess…

Dusty sat on the edge of the bed in black jeans and a sports bra. She looked up as she pulled on her socks. In?

Thea sighed again. "Me… I called Demi to update her, and I could tell she was hoping… I don’t know… I guess for an ‘Ah-Ha, we did it’ moment. I hate disappointing her. I called Sonny to update him as well. Oh… You’ll be glad… he said his SUV is probably big enough to carry those seats you took out of the bus, but he’s going to bring his pickup instead to make sure they all fit, and he’ll take them back up to Demi’s barn. He sounded concerned about someone following us. I didn’t tell him someone tried to run us off the road… when I told him about the conversations we had with Artie, he didn’t quite say ‘I told you so’, but close. He was pissed when I told him how Artie talked about Demi. I told him what you said about Artie being a bookie. I left out the stuff about you returning and taking some papers. He did catch something we didn’t, though… Sonny asked me how Artie knew that he was involved in this mission. Good catch, eh? Should we tell him he might be being watched?"

Dusty pulled on her grey tank top as she thought about it and shrugged. I guess we just play it by ear?

Thea nodded and added, We need to get his take on what happened with Tosh. I still can’t figure out how the misdirects would help him. Sonny did sound concerned, though. He agreed with us; a trip-wire was triggered when someone made a call to someone else.

Dusty looked grim. Did you tell him about Kate and her gun?

Thea’s eyes widened. Not even a little bit. I didn’t tell Demi either. But Sonny said he’d meet us this afternoon in front of Cy’s at about two. He said there is a coffee shop across the street, so we can meet there and give him more details about our day…

Dusty nodded. Sounds good. What did he think about our suspicions about Tosh?

Thea turned. I can’t believe I forgot that part… remind me when we see him. I jotted a bunch of notes of our day so we can touch on the bullet points with him… I still need to call Harmony and fill her in…

Dusty suggested, Why not give that assignment to Kate? She likes to bond over show tunes with her. She rolled her eyes.

Thea slipped on her flip-flops and replied, Ok then… you want to come with me to my room?… Oh, and how was it sleeping on the bus?

Dusty remarked, It was actually pretty comfortable except that Kate snored worse out there than she did in here…

Thea gestured to Dusty’s feet. Those boots are cool She pointed to the stylish black combat boots with the heavy lug soles that Dusty pulled on and tied.

Dusty stood up and muttered, It’s been a while since I’ve worn my jeans… they feel too tight… as she twisted and looked at her reflection.

Thea snorted. Oh, please. It’s just that you always wear those baggy fatigues. Your jeans aren’t tight… they’re fitted. They’re touching your skin… Your hair looks perfect up like that. It shows off your shoulders; which can we talk? Your shoulders and arms have gotten ripped since I saw you on Mothers Day…

Dusty looked in the mirror. Hmmm,… not trying to show them off…

Thea waved off her apology. Don’t be silly. But fair warning, be ready… Freddie is in one of her makeover moods. She told me to wear more mascara and a darker eye shadow so you know she’ll say the same to you…

Dusty rolled her eyes, shook her head, and muttered, Oh god, gimme patience… Come on, let’s roll.

When they entered, Kate exclaimed, Thea! How’d you forget to call Harmony for an update? We promised. Dee told me… she glanced at Freddie, and Freddie raised her hands in surrender. Thea scowled in annoyance at Freddie’s tattling. Kate continued, But no worries. I called her and brought her up to speed.

Thea said sincerely, "It was on purpose that I didn’t call her; I figured you could do it. We saw how much you enjoyed singing with her, so we figured you could be the one to keep her in line… because… you know… you speak her language."

Kate said solemnly, Yes, Thea. I appreciate the assignment… I promise I will keep her in line. She sat on the edge of the bed to re-tie her shoelaces. But that girl is going to be a handful…

Thea, Dusty, and Freddie caught each other’s gaze as they rolled their eyes and smirked.

Thea agreed solemnly, Yeah, she’s a handful, as Freddie smiled at Dusty.

Dusty called out, Make sure you check under the beds, in the bathrooms, behind your pillows. I don’t want to come back for anything. Let’s get our bags by the back door of the bus. If you guys get up in it, I’ll hand the bags up to you. She turned back around. Kate, do you have your book… we don’t want to lose it. She turned and walked out the door.

Thea queried them, Everyone ok if we eat at an actual restaurant for breakfast?

Kate complained, Hey, I thought our snacks last night were delicious. Then, as she walked out of the room, she sang On The Road Again as she hauled her bags out to the bus.

Freddie muttered, Let’s hurry. I’m starving. And we still need to check out… I sure hope Curtis is there, Kate, so you can give him a proper goodbye. Even Kate laughed along with the others.

Breakfast, Diner Next Door to the Motel

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Kate rushed into the waiting area of the diner next to the hostess stand to join her sisters. I dropped off the keys. Curtis wasn’t there. So I left our business card for him.

Freddie patted the bench next to herself. They said it would be just a few minutes. They are clearing the table for us now. Kate nodded and settled onto the bench in between Freddie and Dusty.

A small radio was on behind the hostess stand, and the voice of a newscaster carried throughout the front lobby:

"And that was the number one hit from February, ‘Somewhere Only We Know,’ performed and composed by the English alternative rock band ‘Keane’.

Meanwhile, in other music news, the current number one hit is still ‘Burn’ by Usher. It reached number one status in May and hasn’t slowed down.

Now, onto the hard news, and then we will get right back to all of your favorite hits.

Those yellow silicone wristbands seen everywhere are called Livestrong Bands. They only first came out in May this year and have already sold over a million bands! This is a fundraiser set up by the great American cyclist Lance Armstrong.

It was announced by the United Nations yesterday that the World Population has now hit 6.4 trillion people. And that’s a lot of people, folks.

The movie White Chicks was nominated for five Razzies, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, and Worst Screen Couple.

Hollywood royalty, PK Kruptos, was seen at the White Chicks movie premiere. She caused concern in the movie industry when she appeared to look disheveled with glazed eyes and erratic behavior. Reports are that she had to be hospitalized later that night with a suspected overdose.

Now in sports news…

The waitress called out, Thea, party of four…

Thea jumped up and motioned to the waitress as the other sisters followed her to the table.

Kate instructed the others, Let’s not dawdle. I calculated the drive to Pittsburg. It’s about three hundred miles via I-76 west, so it will take us at least five hours depending on how fast Dusty can push it.

Sunday Mid-day, June 20th, 2004

The Frick Motel

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

They hurriedly checked into The Frick Hotel, and Kate and Dusty ran their bags into their rooms as Thea shouted from the steps of the bus, Thanks, guys… we’re cutting it a little too close. I don’t want to keep Sonny waiting. Dusty and Kate ran back out, and Dusty hopped back into the driver’s seat to head over to 5th street.

SONNY

The girls hurried around the corner of 5th and Roxbury after they had parked the bus on a side street. The cobblestone street set a charming tone for the throng of people that bustled about on a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

The street was predominantly rows of 40s-era factories that were in various stages of gentrification. They consisted of restaurants, art galleries, yoga studios, and offices. The area had recently completed a resurgence of Urban-Renewal to save the historic three and four-story brick buildings wedged in-between stone townhouses with stone stoops and cheerful yellow, red or blue shutters.

Kate’s voice rang out, There he is! See, Deedee, I told you he’d be on time! I don’t know why you said he looks like the type that rolls in whenever he feels like it…

Freddie seethed, Gee, Kate, how about you say it a little louder so all the people on that side of the street can hear you, too! She waved her hand towards the crowd that leisurely walked on the opposite side of the street.

They looked up ahead and saw Sonny as he leaned casually against a newspaper rack in front of the coffee shop. As he had told them on Friday, it was directly across from The Cave Jazz Club. They saw he was amused at their exchange and at Freddie’s discomfort.

He waved as they approached and greeted them all. To Freddie, he professed, "You know, when I was your age, I did think I could roll up whenever I felt like it because people told me I was awesome… and then you know what I learned? Freddie shook her head as he continued, Often times, it’s just like they say, the by-product of success is arrogance and complacency… He smiled at them and continued, I lost a book deal and a teaching gig back then because of all my awesomeness. He smirked. Bygones, right?"

He turned to Kate. Sometimes older sisters know what pitfalls to warn younger sisters about, so maybe go ahead and learn from her? She might be speaking from experience… Kate nodded. He rubbed his hands together and his eyes twinkled as he smiled. So who’s in the mood for coffee? He held the door open for them to enter the coffee shop.

They found a table, and he charmed them with his relaxed banter as he shared his thoughts on current events and funny stories of a sixteen-year-old Demi.

Kate encouraged him, Tell us some more stories about Demi…

Sonny smiled till the corners of his eyes crinkled. Oh my god, here’s a good one… we’d go to the lake during the day, and once a couple of the guys attached a swing to this giant sycamore tree… its branches stretched way out over the water. The seat was this big plank of wood… he motioned with his hands. So the guys took turns doing cannonballs off the swing over the water. So one day, Demi stood up and said, ‘I want to try!’ And she pulled the swing way back and hopped onto the plank, swung way over the water, and splat! He smacked his palm on the table. "A face-plant into the water!

Everyone laughed and hollered, and Hermia was cackled most of all. So Demi looked pissed and she climbed out of the water, not even a little bit embarrassed. So, she marched over to the swing and pulled it way back, even further this time, then she hopped onto the plank. All the guys laughed and waited for the face-plant again… and she soared out over the water, flexed her knees right at the highest point of the arc, and lunged out over the water in a perfect swan dive! It was amazing! He demonstrated with his hand. The guys all went nuts, clapping and shouting… It was so cool to see this quiet, reserved girl absolutely nail it! He laughed. So some of the guys started to dare her to do it again. They were sure it was a fluke. And she said shyly, ‘oh, I don’t know, that was just a lucky dive.’ So Artie started to badger her and threw down some money in a hat and said, ‘I’ll bet you can’t do it again,’ and some of the others threw in some money, and she said all shy like, ‘Oh, well, ok… I’ll try,’ and there were cat-calls and laughter and she does it again, even higher that time! Man, that girl had guts… He smiled wistfully. He laughed, Years later, Zack admitted to me that Demi was on the high school dive team and had made all-state ranking… She had suckered Artie." He wiggled his eyebrows as they all broke into laughter.

Sonny announced, "Well, I guess we should get caught up on what we are here to figure out. Thea, I discussed some of what you told me with Demi when I called her this morning… about your meeting yesterday with Artie and Tosh, I mean. I’m not trying to censure information from reaching her, but it’s a balancing act. You all need to tell me how much you want her to know. She is very worried about all of you and, at the same time, wants to maintain her dignity. She is embarrassed that you all witnessed what she felt was a meltdown… I know; I told her to stop her apologies. But, you know, better than most, that she is not accustomed to exposing too much of her soul to you… or anyone for that matter. I was glad you told me you needed me to take those bus seats up to her barn. It gives me another excuse to be there other than helping in her garden. I don’t need to tell you she is a private woman… and she is a proud woman, and I don’t want her to think we are coddling her. I want her to start to feel she is back in charge of her life, but… And he looked intently at each of them … I need to know that you guys trust me… trust me to keep Demi secure and help her put her life back together. And if you don’t trust me, then…" he held his palms up in submission.

Freddie replied, "You haven’t given us a reason to not trust you. It’s obvious you not only want to help Demi but that you really do respect her. She doesn’t need a knight-in-shining-armor to swoop in… she needs someone she can trust to tell her the truth."

Kate asked Thea, So you told Sonny what Artie said about Zack?

Thea shook her head slightly at Kate. Kate, it wasn’t important…

Kate argued, Well, I think it is! Demi tells us that Zack was amazing, and yesterday, Sonny, you say he was amazing, and then Artie says…

Thea interrupted, Kate, Artie is an angry guy that didn’t like Zack or Demi…

Sonny looked concerned as he asked, What did he say?

Freddie peered at him. You said you thought Zack was so smart and good-looking; he was the type to go into politics someday. Was he like a JFK type of politician in the making?…

Thea groaned. Freddie, come on… it’s his cousin…

Sonny straightened in his chair and asked again, What did he say?

Dusty answered quietly, "He said Zack was a player… He said he was… um… intimate with Mia… more than a few times before he met Demi. She looked over at Sonny’s embarrassed face before she continued, He also said Zack was the reason that you dumped Nikki… because she cheated on you… with Zack."

Sonny looked up, and he ran his hand over his face. He finally answered, Both of those things are true, but…

Kate muttered, So Demi’s Greek God had feet of clay…

Sonny shook his head and explained, Look, the summer of 1969 was a crazy time. Zack was almost twenty, and Demi was sixteen. There were all kinds of revolutions going on besides the political revolution. Music was exploding with a new, rougher sound. People were experimenting with drugs and, yes, with sex. Women were burning their bras while the guys burned their draft cards. So, yeah, people became a little less repressed about sex. Zack was a good-looking guy that enjoyed women. Mia was one of those women. Nikki was another. Nikki and I had just started dating at the end of the school year. Remember, Zack was at Harvard, and Nikki and I were at Columbia. So the first party of the summer back in Philadelphia, Nikki… um…

Freddie asked, Hooked up with Zack?

Sonny nodded. He explained, It wasn’t like Nikki and I had a serious relationship yet, and Zack didn’t know. He was horrified when he found out. But Nikki and I stayed friends; it was really no big deal other than the initial blow to my ego. Zack with Mia was a flash in the pan. She had moved on from him with numerous guys that summer, but she had decided that he should be with her on the trip to Woodstock. Zack never looked at anyone else after he met Demi.

Freddie raised a brow as she asked, Artie said you had a thing for Demi that summer before Zack showed up. He said you backed off and let Zack have her…

He sighed. I was eighteen and fell in love at first sight when I met Demi. I didn’t have any clever moves back then, so I just kind of hovered around her to get to spend time with her. We formed an immediate bond… And then Zack got there… I could see their connection, so I wasn’t going to try and compete. So yeah, I backed off. We all cool with that? He looked intently at each of them until they nodded.

He looked at them sadly and asked, "So we agree, we tell her everything that is fundamental to your research and investigation. I’m not going to embarrass her, and I am not going to tell her the peripheral information that will only worry her… like someone followed you at Fairmount Park…" as he raised an eyebrow towards Thea.

Kate interjected, Ho, boy… that wasn’t the worst of it… the guys that tried to run us off the road were way scarier… Sonny arched his head toward Thea with a questioning gaze.

Dusty said curtly, Kate, zip it.

Kate looked surprised. Oh jeez, was that in the vault too? Dusty, stop looking at me like that; you know it makes me nervous when you look at me like that… And anyway, we don’t even know if they were the same guys that broke into the bus when we went to The Ruins in Fairmount Park… What!? I know you told me not to tell him that I had to protect you last night, but… What did I say now?… she realized her sisters were motionless as they stared at her. Sonny cleared his throat, leaned his forearms on the table, narrowed his gaze, and sweetly stated, OK, spill.

They gave him the details on the men that watched them before they had met up with him; the car that tried to run them down when they left the campus; the guys that the kids saw climb into the bus, and then the confrontation last night with Kate.

He looked long and hard at Kate and opened his mouth to say something. He stopped himself, he paused for a moment, and then he finally articulated his thoughts. "I am quite confident in your general knowledge and understanding of the mechanics of weapons; I am clear on your exceptional skills at target shooting, and I understand your expertise in handling different guns. What I am doubtful of is your experience in being confronted by a cornered animal that also has a gun. The cornered animal will not think twice about ending your life or your sisters’ lives. You strike me as the type of person that would think twice before taking a life… and it’s that moment of hesitation that could end your life. It would break Demi if that happened. With that said, I am confident that you would put everything on the line to protect your sisters, which is commendable. He locked eyes with her again and stood up and questioned them, So who can use a refill?" As he strode towards the counter.

When he returned with a tray of coffees and four glasses of water, Thea pulled out some papers. She placed the copy of the parchment diagram in front of him. Did Demi talk to you about the diagram that we found hidden in the box? And Zack’s notes or clues?

Sonny nodded and shrugged. I’m not a great help with puzzles, though. He leaned in to study it.

Freddie stated, We had Demi put the original of this in her safe. Does it look familiar to you? He examined the drawing and shook his head. Then, he asked, What do the circles mean?

Kate interjected, I guessed that it was Greek theater and the circles are people.

He studied it again and tilted his head side to side. That sounds as good as any guess. He chuckled. Like I said, I’m not good at puzzles.

Thea relayed her call with Demi. This morning, I asked Demi if Zack had ever mentioned the fire at those house ruins in the park. She said he did… in a letter, and in hindsight, she said it did seem odd. She said he even asked her to go and look at the area. She said he explained it was important for sentimental reasons. He mentioned the area in the house where they would hide cigarettes or bottles of booze was the fireplace. She said she went down to Philadelphia and took pictures and sent them to him as she spoke, Sonny lost some color on his face.

He said sadly, I was with her that day. She called and asked Dawn and me to meet her for a picnic at the old house. She said she wanted to send Zack some pictures of the park. He fiddled with the spoon in his coffee cup as he was lost in the memory. It’s weird how one little insignificant picnic seems to be important now. But, I can tell you one thing, all of us, including Zack and Shade and I, hung out up in that abandoned house like hundreds of other teenagers from the area.

Thea continued, Demi said that he had even included the newspaper clipping that caught his attention. And then he asked her about it when they were in Hawaii on his next leave. So obviously, he was worried or stressed about that fire.

Dusty described their exploration of the area, and Kate explained what they thought were clues from the fireback. Dusty muttered, And we still ended up with bupkis.

Sonny seemed deep in thought, finally looked up and questioned them, Demi told you that my mother and Zack’s mother were sisters? The girls nodded. So, my Aunt Marie was married to Georgios. Thea told me about your meeting with Tosh and how he explained his grandfather Max’s connection to Gios.

Freddie sniped, "Although, we don’t know which parts of his story of those two old men will hold up to scrutiny."

Sonny nodded and thoughtfully observed, I agree. But it did trigger something this morning when Thea and I spoke about Max and Georgios. When my Aunt Marie died, probably around 1979 or 1980, I helped my mother move some boxes from Marie’s house into our attic. When my mother passed, she left me the house, and I never bothered to go through that stuff in the attic. But, I remember when I was a little kid, Gios was always working on various projects, and he had some carvings that Marie showed Zack and me that he had done when he first came to Philadelphia.

He leaned back in his chair as he thought about it, When Thea mentioned the discrepancy in the proverb that Zack had quoted... and that Tosh had quoted…

Kate interrupted, And which one was on the plaque on the Whispering Bench…

Sonny looked at her without speaking for a moment. He then added, That’s what I meant…

Kate said sheepishly, Sorry I interrupted…

Sonny shook his head. No, no… sorry, that’s not why I paused… when you said that; it made me feel like what I was going to postulate to you won’t sound so crazy…

Freddie exclaimed, Come on dude! Don’t leave us hanging! Everything we have discovered feels crazy. So jump on in, the water’s fine. She added with encouragement.

I’m pretty sure the wooden crates in my attic will have some of those carved panels Zack and I saw as children. It was a series of the same thing, but one was wood, one was metal, and there was one maybe out of some kind of white material, like plaster and the last one was ceramic, I think. But Gios spoke of them with a certain reverence that made me think they were something special. My mother talked about how Aunt Marie would always tell her they were important to my Uncle. And my Aunt said he was really proud he had gotten a special commission from the city in the 30s. But what triggered the memory was Thea and Demi both speaking about that damned proverb… I swear, I think that proverb was carved in those panels. Is that too crazy to speculate?…

Kate leaned in and whispered, Whoa!

Freddie added, Like I said, nothing sounds crazy at this point.

Thea asked, Can you get those boxes down and take some pictures? And email them to us? This is too much to believe that it’s just a coincidence. She looked at her sisters somberly and stated, Remember the brochure we got on the pedicab tour? In the section on the Whispering Bench? It said that the plaque had to be replaced in 1934. We know Georgios came to Philadelphia in the early ‘30s. So it is not too crazy to believe he could have been the one to make the bronze replacement plaque for the Whispering Bench. She grimaced.

Freddie muttered, I don’t believe in co-ink-a-dinks. She groaned. Just another seemingly important detail we have no clue what it means or how it fits into the puzzle.

The girls all exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

Freddie looked at Sonny and asked, Thea said she also told you about our chat with Tosh after we met with Artie? He nodded. She continued, She forgot to tell you about our concerns about Tosh. Dusty was the one that caught the inconsistencies…

Dusty explained those inconsistencies to him, and he grew angry.

Sonny said harshly, I agree with her concerns.

So we are all in agreement that someone had to have alerted Artie and Tosh that you were coming for a visit? Sonny asked as he looked to the girls for confirmation.

"Or Artie and Tosh reported to someone…" Freddie added.

Or both… Sonny grimaced as he got up to take the tray over to the counter, and he then paused to add, And, Artie knew I was helping you as well… that’s got to mean something… but what? He paused as he frowned.

When he sat back down, he slid a slip of paper over to Freddie that he pulled from his wallet. I know you are doing a lot of the background on this… ah… adventure. I have a buddy, Jack Aaron St. Croix, that lives in New York City. I called him… only to check on his availability. I didn’t share any of the pertinent information yet. He was part of the Canadian Special Forces and opened his own security firm about 20 years ago. I met him when my publisher set up security for my first overseas book tour. I don’t think he has any connections to any of our orbit of people, past or present, but you should be able to find that out. He has ‘A plus’ credentials providing security in New York, mainly to dignitaries coming to meetings at the UN. I want to hire one of his teams to watch Demi’s place for the next week or so. I thought it was important yesterday. Today I think it is imperative. A team of four; two on, two off; 24/7. I don’t think Demi should know, or she’ll shut it down. As I already said, I invited myself to go up there tomorrow for a couple of days. I think I will swing by my house, get those boxes out of the attic, and take them with me. I’ll get Demi to help take the photos of them. I’d like to get Jack’s team in place by Wednesday in case Demi wants me gone by Wednesday. Your thoughts?

The girls exchanged glances as Freddie stated, My thoughts are ‘Hell yeah.’

Dusty muttered, And not a moment too soon.

Thea looked uncomfortable as she stopped him when he started to get up. Ummm, Sonny, one other thing. We have to share a copy of a file with you.

Sonny looked at the file she had set on the table with apprehension. What’s up? As he looked up at them.

Thea continued, We met an investigative journalist; her name is Harmony, and she’s a hard charger, and we trust her. Freddie checked into her credentials. She has a good reputation of protecting her sources and sticking to her word.

Sonny looked back and forth at their faces. Why do I feel the other shoe is about to drop? He settled back down.

Thea swallowed and took a breath. We asked her to check with her source at the Philly PD to get us the police report you guys filed about Perci’s kidnapping and… She pushed a file towards Sonny’s folded hands. She got us a bonus of the report of Xander’s mugging.

He looked from the file to her face. Then, he quietly questioned, What’s in it?

Dusty said quietly, Powder burns show direct, close contact to his clothes. If it had happened today, they would have investigated a little closer. He wasn’t running. He wasn’t turning. No defensive wounds, so he must have known whoever killed him. He was shot in the chest and would have fallen back to the ground. But he didn’t die from that shot. It was the shot in the head when he was on the ground that killed him. Freddie sent the file to a coroner that she knows, and he said it didn’t look spontaneous, which a mugging would have been. He said it was the second shot that made it look personal.

Sonny looked stunned. He looked at them but asked rhetorically, Personal? A second shot? But why? Xander didn’t have anything of value. He looked miserable; and continued, Well, I’m kind of glad my Aunt never knew that part. But at least that thread has been pulled, and we can call it ‘case closed’… right?

They looked at him, and Kate patted his hand and suggested, You should share it with Demi. Xander was a link between you and Zack and Demi… She is really good at comforting you when you’re sad… She smiled sadly at him. He nodded as he looked out of the window.

The Cave Jazz Club

Pittsburg, Pennsylvania

CY

Sonny and the sisters passed by the folding sign on the sidewalk that advertised ‘Brunch and Blues Sundays.’ They continued down the stairs to the basement of the brick building into the jazz club known as The Cave. It was housed in a three-story brick building built in the 1940s, but the club’s interior seemed to be stuck in the 1950s. It was dark with no windows, and the industrial sconce