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 flawed and imperfect 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 an old school bus used in 1969 on Demi’s trip to Woodstock with a group of her friends.
The sisters' journey introduced them to characters from Demi’s past, and those characters provided the clues and sometimes the answers to this mystery.
The story of the road trip hinged on flashback sequences from Demi’s friends’ collective memories of the late 60’s and early 70’s political upheavals and the ripple effects of those upheavals that impacted that group and changed their lives forever!
How could they solve Demi’s mystery and an uncovered conspiracy? How did a hidden map, a missing girl, a Weather Underground bombing, a kidnapping, an unfound treasure, and a couple of murders all connect?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669844808

Book preview

cover.jpg

THE

HARPIES

Concept By Sabrina Zubiri & Chloe Zubiri

Story By Sabrina Zubiri

THE

HARPIES

A THREE BOOK SERIES

The Dichotomy of Moody & Dark juxtaposed against Optimistic & Light

Inner Demons vs Inner Angels

Self-Discovery & Hope vs Despair & Disillusionment

BOOK THREE

Sabrina Zubiri

www.TheHarpiesSeries.com

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: 09/26/2022

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

843770

BOOK THREE

Dear Past, thanks for

all the lessons. Dear

Future, I’m ready.

-Neil Patel

CONTENTS

BOOK THREE: DEAR PAST, THANKS FOR ALL THE LESSONS. DEAR FUTURE, I’M READY.

Chapter 1: Tattooed In Reverse

Cozy Cafe

Demi’s Farmhouse

Heritage Museum

Truck Stop Outside Of Limon, Colorado

Brush Creek Motel

Fanny Hill Pedestrian Mall

Crash (Brando Alistair Hawke)

Fanny Hill Pedestrian Mall

Parkside Hospital

Fanny Hill Mall

Owl Creek Gallery

Chapter 2: Serenade to A Cuckoo

Brush Creek Motel

Demi’s Farmhouse

Metal Artist Studio & Workshop

60 miles outside of Las Vegas

Pinball Motel

Las Vegas Orthopedic Surgical Center

Veteran’s Outreach And Homeless Shelter

Chapter 3: Absence of Fear

Pinball Motel Conference Center

Kruptos Estate

Pinball Motel Conference Room

Selene’s Uncle’s Ranch

Laconia, The Kruptos Estate

The Whispering Bench in Fairmount Park

Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Ruins at Fairmount Park

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

Tattooed In Reverse

Early Morning, Saturday,

June 26th, 2004

Outside of Wichita, Kansas

Kate called up to Rafael, Rafi? When do you think we will get there?

Rafael called back, It’s about six hours from here… it’s about 430 miles, so I’d say around 2:00 this afternoon. I’d guess we will have a pit stop around noon so we can fill the tank and grab some lunch if you want, or I can drive straight through… He looked back through the rearview mirror to wait for her answer.

Kate nodded. Ok, I might take a little nap ‘til then. Ya know… Our little shindig at Dion’s last night was fun and all, but, woo wee, I wish I didn’t have so much to drink… She adjusted her sunglasses and unwrapped a stick of gum.

Freddie moaned, Kate? Please shut up… I have a headache. She shifted in her seat to try to get comfortable.

Kate frowned at her. "DeeDee, we all have a headache. But you had bourbon and champagne. Sheesh, how many times do I need to remind you not to mix your beverages?" She got her iPod and headphones out of her bag and rolled over to clutch her pillow.

Freddie groaned, Every time, I guess.

The voice of a radio newscaster filtered through the speakers and throughout the bus: "… this Saturday morning. We’ll get back to all the hits after some news.

It has been reported that after the airing of South Park’s ‘Trapped in the Closet’, Matt Stone and Trey Parker were followed and investigated by the Church of Scientology. They have asked for an investigation of the investigation.

Next up, the documentary ‘Supersize Me’ has gone into international distribution after only being released in May. For those of you who don’t know, filmmaker Morgan Spurlock gained twenty-five pounds in thirty days eating only McDonald’s food. Unfortunately, it took him fourteen months to lose the weight. The film documents what happens to a person who only eats fast food and this lifestyle’s drastic effect on a person’s physical and psychological well-being, and it examines the fast food industry’s corporate influence, including how it emboldens poor nutrition for its own profit.

Meanwhile, President Bush was questioned yesterday for seventy minutes by Federal investigators in the criminal case examining who within the Bush administration broke federal law by leaking the name of CIA agent Valerie Plame. Plame is the wife of one of President Bush’s chief critics of Iraq, Ambassador Joseph Wilson. Bush’s chief advisor Karl Rove has been one of the officials cited as a possible source for the leak. Numerous other top officials, including Vice President Dick Cheney and White House counsel Alberto Gonzales, have also been questioned."

In a comic book series this year, the character ‘Deadpool’ described himself as ‘Ryan Reynolds crossed with a shar-pei’, leading the actor to believe he was destined for the role. However, many in the industry don’t believe Reynolds is well-known enough to carry a movie about a comic book character. He starred in the National Lampoon movie ‘Van Wilder’ in 2002…"

Kate turned to Harmony and laughed, That was a funny movie… Did you see Van Wilder?… He was a seventh-year senior… Ha!

Harmony snickered. "I liked that guy that played his friend Taj Mahal Badalandabad… now, he’s funny! Don’t you remember Ryan Reynolds in that show ‘Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place’? He was so funny in that…" She held out her hand for a piece of gum.

Kate thought a moment, Hmm… I don’t remember that one… Did you know the guy that played Taj Mahal is starring in ‘Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle’? It comes out next month…

Harmony gasped, Oh my god! We should go together!

Freddie barked at them, Hey guys? Siskel and Ebert called, and they want their show back… She sat upright to turn and glare at Harmony and Kate.

Kate yelled back to her, Hardee-har-har… that was a real knee slapper, Dee. She rolled her eyes at Harmony. Just ignore her. Harmony nodded but remained silent.

Freddie closed her eyes as she murmured, Right back at ya, babe.

Kate muttered, Oh, bite me, Dee.

Rafael turned up the radio to drown them out and hummed along to ‘Alcohol’ by The Kinks. He adjusted the wing mirror to make sure the Crown Vic, which was driven by Fitz, was still in view. Headlights of the Crown Vic flashed to acknowledge Rafael’s adjustment.

Mid-Day Saturday, June 26th, 2004

Cozy Cafe

Limon, Colorado

Rafael called back to them, Guys? Wake up, please… we’re here. Guys? He looked at their prone bodies through the rearview mirror.

Finally, they all stretched and groaned as they woke up from their six-hour nap. Eventually, Harmony croaked, Did we sleep all the way over here?

Kate squinted as she lifted her head, pushed back the drapes and peered out the window. Then, she asked Rafael in a raspy voice, Where’s here? This looks like a Texaco Gas Station?

Rafael answered as he shut off the engine and opened the door, It’s downtown Limon, I guess. It’s not pronounced lea-man; it’s pronounced lye-mon, according to Dom. He called when you were asleep to give me the motel reservation information. There is a diner across the street, so if you guys want to head over? Red and Fitz just went in to grab two tables while I fill the tank.

Harmony groaned as she pushed the hair out of her eyes. I need water. My throat is killing me from singing last night… Oh, man, I think I must have slept wrong… I pulled a muscle in my neck… and my feet hurt from too much dancing… jeez, I’m falling apart…

Dusty rolled her eyes at Kate and Harmony’s slumped bodies. Come on… put your big girl pants on… the diner looks like a nice place… It’s called the Cozy Cafe, so it has to be comfy cozy, right? She ran down the aisle and jumped down the stairs.

Freddie stretched and took out her compact and lipstick tube to touch-up her lips. She snapped it closed when she finished, and she ruffled her fingers through her hair to fluff it a bit. She leaned over, grabbed her shoes from under the bench seat, and began to buckle the ankle straps. She rose from her seat and brushed out the wrinkles from her tight, black jeans and white lace tank top. Her houndstooth pattern button-up shirt had fallen on the floor while she had been asleep, and she picked it up to inspect the delicate voile fabric for any damage. She shook it out, pulled it behind her, and tied the sleeves at her waist. She offered a hand to Thea, who had dark sunglasses over her eyes. She whispered, Tee, are you asleep? Come on, girly girl… we just need to get some water in you, and you’ll feel better…

Thea rose unsteadily and grunted, Please kill me if I ever drink again? She murmured something indistinguishable as she followed Freddie slowly off the bus.

Kate reapplied her lip balm as she nudged Harmony’s shoe with her boot. Come on, Harmony… we’re the young ones, so we can’t let ‘em see us sweat…

Harmony laughed, and then she groaned, God, I feel like cat poop… young cat poop, but cat poop nontheless… And I hate to tell you, I’m the same age as Dusty… and how the hell does Freddie look that good after the night we had at Dion’s? I mean, come on!

Kate shrugged and laughed, She is a make-up ninja… or a make-up genius… She jogged down the aisle and steps, followed by Harmony.

Harmony nodded and muttered, She’s a fashion ninja…

They saluted to Rafael over at the pumps and walked slowly across the street to the Cozy Cafe. He smiled over to them and gave a thumbs up.

As they walked inside the cafe, they saw Fitz and Red across from each other at one table as they sipped from their large white coffee mugs and chatted quietly. Dusty and Thea sat at the table across from Freddie as they all, except Thea, studied their menus. Some light jazz music played on the radio by the hostess stand.

Kate and Harmony sat in the empty spots between them as Rafael jogged in to join them. He handed Fitz a piece of paper as he explained, This is the reservation info that Dom gave me. It’s called the Safari Inn; right down the road on Main Street. He said it would be easy to find because it is painted pink, and across from something called the Limon Heritage Museum and Railroad Park.

Thea handed Freddie her cellphone and asked, Can you check my messages after you check yours? All this noise and those smells are making me nauseous. She lowered her forehead to the cool tabletop.

Thea croaked as she squinted behind her dark glasses and looked around. "You know what sucks? How can this be called ‘downtown’? It doesn’t even look like a town."

Thea frowned and then shrugged as she squinted at Dusty. She looked away as she sipped her water through a straw.

Rafael explained to Thea as he studied the menu, Dom said there’s barely a thousand people here. It used to be a railroad town and tons of cattle ranches. But now, their claim to fame is that they have thousands of wind farms generating electricity. It was actually Clay and his father that started that trend in the late 70’s when they set up their first couple of hundred wind turbines on their goat ranch. He also said the town’s nickname is hub city, but I forgot to ask him why…

The waitress approached their table to take their order, and she overheard them, so she explained, The town’s nickname is Hub City because Interstate 70, U.S. Highways 24, 40, and 287, and State Highways 71 and 86 all pass through or near the town. So on a map it looks like the spokes on a wheel coming out from the hub. Get it? Hub City…

Kate asked her, Why didn’t they name it lemon or lime instead of Limon?

Harmony asked, Or spoke city… That would have been a nice name…

The waitress smiled and nodded, That might make sense, but Limon isn’t a fruit… The town was named after a guy named John Lymon, some railroad supervisor assigned to the area… You guys ready to order?

She hurried away with their order as Kate asked Thea, Can you remind Demi that she will be getting the FedEx today… the one with the CDs of the interviews we did with Lissa and Charlene? Or was that yesterday? The days are all running together.

Thea nodded as she whispered, "I reminded them yesterday that the FedEx was coming today… or maybe it was yesterday… God, my head hurts… She sipped her water and then continued, Anyway, they waited to watch to one of Pax and Dena ‘til they get the ‘Lissa and Charlene ones so they can watch them in order. You know what I wish? I wish we could figure out why Maddie said Mia wanted Clay and Crow to help them in Colorado. And how does Crow’s father fit into the mix? Sonny said yesterday that Jack didn’t get any new information from Maddie."

Kate frowned as she ticked on her fingers. So we know they were on the train from Raleigh to Wichita. We know Shade and Crow’s mystery guy picked them up in a camper, and they headed to Colorado. We know Jesse left town soon after that, so we can’t ask him because Dom can’t find him… But we don’t know why Mia and Shade wanted to see Crow’s dad… Dom said the dad lived in Boulder, Colorado, right?

Freddie nodded and added, But his company had offices all over the place, so who knows where he was in 1976… he wasn’t necessarily home in Boulder even if that’s where his house was…

Dusty muttered, We’ve got bupkis…

Kate was pensive as she thought about it. Denver is an hour and a half from here; Boulder is an hour away from there. Crow is mainly in Gypsum and Snowmass Village now… She shook her head and shrugged. Nope. I got nothin’… Bumpkis. She shrugged and nodded toward Dusty.

Freddie looked around at the empty diner as she pushed Dom’s number into her cellphone. She muttered, At least there’s no one to overhear us… She looked up as they heard Dom’s voice ring out, Dom! Hey there… we are in Limon rhymes with Simon… yeah, hang on… let me put you on speaker… she glanced around the diner again and called out, Go ahead. No one’s listening…

Fitz and Red straightened in their chairs as they surveyed the interior of the diner. Rafi rose from his chair, put his hands on his hips, and turned to face the door.

Kate nudged Harmony and whispered, Betcha that’s a military thing…

Harmony furrowed her brow in question.

Kate whispered, You know, face the entrance points in case your adversary comes barreling in… She nodded knowingly.

Red’s eyes twinkled, and he smirked and gave her a thumbs up.

Kate smiled at Harmony, Tol’ ya so..

Dusty tapped on the table to get their attention.

Dom’s voice called out, Hello, Angels!…

Kate snorted. So, now you are Bosley? Ha! As Harmony snickered beside her.

Freddie asked him, Dom? I have a hangover so…

Dom said in a serious tone, Right. Let’s see…

Harmony took out her notebook and began to scribble notes as Dom spoke.

So, I got the FedEx sent out Thursday to Demi, and Sonny confirmed they received a package yesterday; not sure which one… You know, probably the gun and the watch. A separate package had the audio copies and transcripts of all of the interviews, up to that point, oh, and the copies of the video with Dena and Pax. Oh, and I included separate copies of all of it for the FBI guy. They’ll have that package today. And they should have gotten the package with the audio files of the interview with ‘Lissa and Charlene yesterday or maybe today. I dropped that one off kind off late. Oh… and Harmony? I sent copies of all the CDs to your editor with a note saying ‘per your instructions’, and I emailed you a copy of the transcripts. I’ll send the stuff from Wichita as soon as you get it to me.

Harmony smiled as she sipped her iced tea. She leaned toward the open phone and yelled, Dude! You are the bomb!

Dom laughed and replied, Back at ya. Anywho, Kai and I tag-teamed your mystery man, and there was no one that fit the bill from Shade and Crow’s high school nor at their colleges…

Freddie simmered as she thought about his information. Finally, she tilted her head back to stare at the ceiling, and a grin formed on her face as she looked over at Thea.

Kate dipped her french fry in her catsup as she leaned over to the guys and said in a conspiratorial tone, Something awesome is about to happen… when she gets that cat-swallowed-the-canary look…

Red glanced from Fitz to Rafael as they watched Freddie. Then, she slapped the table and exclaimed smugly, I got it!

Kate swirled another fry in her catsup as she leaned to the guys and whispered, And here it comes… three, two, one…

Freddie laughed as she asked, "Dom? Check Jesse’s High School… I will bet that’s where you’ll find the mystery man."

She sat back with a satisfied smile on her face as Kate whispered to the guys, I told ya so… They all smirked and shook their heads.

Dom replied, Great idea, Dee… Kai is right here, and her fingers are burning up her keyboard as we speak… I do have some good news for you guys…

Thea groaned, Unless it involves you rolling back time to keep me from drinking last night, I don’t care…

Kate called out cheerfully, I care, Dom… go ahead, shoot…

Dom laughed, "I’m glad someone is alert… My good news is you don’t have to go looking for Clay out on his goat ranch or wherever people hang out there, and it will probably mean you don’t have to stay the night in Limon-rhymes-with-Simon…"

Kate swirled another french fry and asked, Ok, I’ll bite… Why?

Dom laughed, Because Clay is about a block away from you right now! He volunteers at The Limon Heritage Museum and Railroad Park every Saturday afternoon. He repairs the displays and fixes up the gardens… you know, maintenance and stuff… He sometimes gives historical talks to kids, like reading stories about Colorado history and mining, but that looks like it’s during the school year… I signed you guys up for a group tour that starts in about an hour… must be a slow Saturday because the lady said you guys are the only ones that signed up today…

Thea moaned and said sarcastically, Oh, goody…

Dom added, Kate? Not sure if you should go in with them… at least not at first…

Kate groaned, Ah, come on… I love old railroad stuff!

Dom paused and then asked delicately, "Um, honey? Did you forget Clay is Coop? Clay Cooperman?… The Coop that you met at Junior’s ranch house?"

Kate paused the french fry inches from her mouth as she blanched slightly and gulped, Um, yeah… I forgot that part… yeesh…

Dom cautioned them, "We don’t know if he’s a good guy or bad guy, but I told you he is a smart guy…"

Freddie nodded as she quoted him, Yeah, yeah, I remember. Environmentalist that writes articles for Colorado newspapers and magazines… college at Penn State and then transferred over to Carnegie Mellon where he received an Environmental Engineering degree… remind me why you are on the fence about him being a bad guy?

Dom explained, Because he high-tailed it out of Junior’s ranch an hour after you guys took off… why leave so fast if he didn’t want to disassociate himself from his old buddy?

He added, I called Pax and Dena this morning… I told them I was your assistant, and you asked me to check in on them to see if they needed anything… It sounds like Pax is having a rough time today…

Freddie put her hand up to her mouth and moaned, What a fucking piece of shit I am for not thinking of doing that. Thanks, Dom for making me sound better than I am… She leaned back, and closed her eyes for a moment, and then glanced sadly at Fitz.

Dom sounded miserable when he explained, I felt like a piece of crap for using it as an excuse to call them for more information about Clay. So to make up for that, I ordered a bunch of DVD box sets of those old cop shows from the 70s that he loves… they will get to him on Tuesday. So that might cheer him up a little…

Harmony whispered, Awww, that was sweet… as Kate nodded along with her.

Dom said sarcastically, Well, you can thank Freddie. I used the company credit card to pay for them…

Freddie laughed, You always do the right thing, Dom. Can you call Dena back and tell her we want to send over a caregiver for the nightshifts? She needs some help with Pax. You can do the research for someone in the area. Tell them it’s our gift. So, back to you. What did you find out?

Dom paused and rustled some papers as he answered, Oh, right… hang on, let me check my notes; I haven’t entered them into the computer yet… ok, here we are… Pax said Clay was a wild, party boy in college, and he was known for his many conquests. But, he said he was also known for his fierce loyalty, humility, and fairness… Those were Pax’s words. Pax said Mia knew about his wild partying and that it had gotten him into trouble lots of times, but after a wild night of drugs and booze, he supposedly had a three-way with two guys at an orgy at a party of Mia’s and Shade’s. Of course, Mia has polaroids. Pax said Clay was mortified because she threatened to show them to his dad…

Freddie grimaced and growled, I think we should tell him the night could have been staged or posed… like Cy…

Thea adjusted her sunglasses and took a sip of water, "We can mention the Cy incident as an example but not name Cy… that wouldn’t be fair to him."

Dom cleared his throat, There’s more… Pax said Mia threatened Clay because she knew he had embezzled money from the college athletic association’s fundraising umbrella. He had worked for them his freshman and sophomore years. He had been fighting with his dad because his dad wouldn’t send him any extra money because he kept blowing it on partying, so he took the easy way out… Mia has an uncanny knack of always finding someone’s soft underbelly…

Fitz frowned and glanced at Freddie with a look of disgust.

Freddie locked eyes with Fitz as she said to Dom, I think we are all in agreement that Mia is a real piece of work.

Dom typed on his keyboard, and he added, "About an hour after I hung up, Dena called me back. She said Pax was awake from his nap, and his medication had worn off. She said he is always more lucid when he is in pain for some reason… he told her to tell us that Xander told them his coins were probably worth five or ten K each. That was 1976 dollars. But Kai and I think that was actually maybe what his old man would have told him or Zack because, to us, it looks like the coins would have been easy over a quarter mil each by 1976. But, we will research it some more, and we’ll report back in a few days.

Anyway, Dena said Pax told her that’s why Mia looked in Demi’s jewelry boxes. When she couldn’t find Zack’s coins, she took the jewelry; she figured it was better than nothing. Mia kept pushing Xander about the coins, and kind of like daring him to show them. She said they, her and Shade, had a partner that would buy them. Someone must have told her what they really would be worth. So he took them with him in his wallet when they went to the bbq. That’s why Shade and Mia were able to get them."

Freddie frowned and whispered, Mia just keeps upping the ante on awfulness… So, now we have to find their partner, someone who wanted to buy the coins.

Kate asked, Remember, Charlene, said someone called her to buy the necklace?

Freddie looked up as she thought about it. Finally, she shook her head, Nah, that was what? Ten, fifteen years later?

Thea moaned as she whispered, Yeah, fifteen years… she said it was right around when she made partner, and that was 1991…

Dom added, Too much of a tangent… Get back to what you can do where you are at right now…

Freddie murmured as she stared across the room, deep in thought. Finally, she said, Good point, Dom… She seemed to remain unsettled.

Kate looked around the table and offered a suggestion, Since there’s a group of us, I say I follow behind the guys into the museum, they can kind of shield me, and then when we see Clay is alone, I just pop out and surprise him! Like, hey Coop, remember me?

The guys started to shake their heads, and Fitz murmured, Absolutely not. Like Dom just said, we have no idea if he is a good guy or a bad guy…

Freddie looked at Kate and nodded to her. I agree with Kate… Even if he is a so-called bad guy, there are eight of us and one of him… so big deal if he yells and screams… she looked at the guys as she waved her hands and said sarcastically, Ohhh, I’m soo scared…

She called out, Dom? Cancel our room reservations for the Pink Motel…

Rafael corrected her, It’s the Safari Inn…

Freddie rolled her eyes at him, What ev’s… Dom? Cancel our reservation at the pink place and make our reservations for a late check-in tonight, three doubles in Snowmass Village. She glanced at Fitz in a dare for him to argue. She added, We need to focus on Crow next.

He locked gazes with her until Kate tugged on her arm to distract her from a confrontation with him. Freddie, we know Artie is no bueno, and Crow seems like he is probably a dick if he is friends with Shade and Artie… the whole mess of ‘em seem like a bad den of thieves… I’ve changed my mind… I don’t think this is the time we should whistle through the graveyard… She looked nervously at Fitz.

Rafael said, Den of thieves refers to Matthew 21:13. It was when Jesus, driving the moneychangers from the Temple, said, ‘My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves’…

Thea muttered, What are you? Studying to become a priest? She leaned her head on the surface of the table.

Freddie looked around the table for a consensus. Yea, or nay if we go in and confront him?

Dusty chewed on her lip as she thought about it, Well, I guess the worse that could happen is we cause him to clam up, and we get no new clues…

Dom asked, Guys? I think I can offer some psychological leverage. Clay has two college-age daughters, so it has to make him cringe on some level, the racket Junior and Crow are running with those young girls… um, women… And if that doesn’t do the trick? His oldest daughter is married and has a little kid. A little girl about the age of Perci when she was kidnapped. Blond hair, blue eyes… like Perci. I say you grab one of those photos of Demi holding Perci at the Bicentennial and shove it under his nose to see just how hardened he is…

Freddie murmured, That’s brilliant, Dom… we’ll play up the ‘how would you like it’ angle.

Thea and Dusty nodded as Dusty muttered and shrugged as she said, Cruel, so it might work…

Dusty looked around the table. Fitz, Kate’ll need to borrow your baseball cap and Thea? Give her your sunglasses…

Thea shook her head and muttered, Nope.

Fitz sighed as he looked at Thea with her forehead on the table. He told Dusty, I have an extra pair in the car.

Dusty nodded, Kate? Can you wind your braids on top of your head under the cap?

Kate nodded as Dusty pulled out some money and tossed it to Harmony. She asked, Harmony? Run over by the display at the entrance and buy one of those tourist T-Shirts? Make sure it is a couple sizes too big so Kate’s buddy Coop won’t notice her when she walks in behind the guys… Kate, you can change in the bathroom over behind the phones…

Kate and Harmony jumped up and dashed to purchase a T-Shirt, and then they rushed into the bathroom.

Rafael jogged out to the car to retrieve the other ball cap and sunglasses. Kate and Harmony returned to the table after they had pinned up her hair, and she changed her shirt to a black and white T-shirt that proclaimed on the front, Grand Canyon National Park, Carved by the Mighty Colorado River.

Rafael handed her the ball cap, and she slid it on.

Freddie smirked at her, That’s big enough to double as a dress…

The click-clack of Dom’s keyboard stopped as he asked, Are we all back?…

Freddie winked at Dusty, Sorry for the delay Dom… what’s next?

Thea whined as she rubbed her temples. Please, could you guys stop yelling…

Dom explained, The objective of today’s mission…

Harmony and Kate began to hum the theme of Mission Impossible. Harmony said in a low melodramatic voice, Your mission, Kate, should you choose to accept it…

Kate spoke in a low, dramatic tone, As always, Harmony, should you or any of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disown…

Harmony shook her head as she corrected her, "No, it’s not disown… It’s disavow any knowledge…"

Thea sat up and slapped her hand on the table so that the water glasses rattled. She held up her fork, I will pay any of you one hundred dollars if you’ll shove this fork into my eye…

Dusty put her arm around Thea’s shoulder, Just breathe… you’ll be fine…

Kate sniffed, Dusty? I offered her some willow bark for her headache, and she said no… Just drink your tea, Thea. It’s peppermint. I swear it will help settle your stomach. And just nibble on the cucumbers from your salad. They have a lot of electrolytes and moisture in them, so they help with hangovers.

Harmony suggested, Maybe you should get some Pedialyte… I’ll bet they have some at the gift shop…

Thea whispered, Are you fucking suggesting I am being a baby?

Kate waved her off, Oh, Thea… back off… Everyone knows it’s got electrolytes in it, so that’s why everyone drinks it for a hangover… at least the cool kids do… Freddie smirked as she looked at Thea.

Thea leaned her forehead down to the tabletop again and groaned.

Freddie called out, Dom? Go ahead.

Dom sighed as he suggested, You need to find out if Clay saw the group in the camper in ’76… did they come through there? You need to find out if he knows how Crow’s dad is in the mix. Pax and Dena said Clay knew Xander was murdered after the barbecue in ’76 even though he had already left. So who told him? Crow and Shade were his friends back in the day, and he and Crow were at Junior’s ranch this week… that’s a lot of overlap.

Kate growled, And don’t forget Artie was there, too! At the ranch, I mean not the barbecue…

Freddie added, Mia had blackmailed just about everyone in this group. So, why would we have thought Clay would get out unscathed? Maybe he is sick of being under her thumb. She shrugged. Who knows… like Dom says, maybe having a granddaughter now makes him see things differently.

Dom explained, Financially, he is very well off. He and his dad make more from the wind farm than they ever have as goat ranchers. But he isn’t extravagant. He lives pretty modestly; spent a lot on his kids’ education, had a giant wedding for the oldest daughter, trust funds for them and the grandchild, took his wife and kids on a big family vacation for their twenty-fifth anniversary, multiple ski trips every year for the whole extended family. But nothing beyond that… no debt, no sports cars, no hidden girlfriends… my antennae is not waving at all on this guy. Mia’s only angle is the embezzlement and the polaroids of a wild night. Since his dad is still alive, maybe that’s enough?

Freddie frowned as she thought about it, So maybe not a bad guy. But there is a raw nerve there that Mia is exploiting…

Dom called out, "Let me know… also, hide the bus down the street from the museum? Too many people have seen it for it to go unnoticed… And Coop saw Dusty on her motorcycle, so he’d probably recognize that strapped