Chapter summary – Tommy McQuaid meets the Jordan family. Blowfish wants to retire.
Penhall the Boss
The Evening News is where they proceed with saying "Good evening" and then go on to tell you why it isn't – anonymous
Judy Hoffs and Harry Ioke looked on in terror; their makeshift kitchen was a complete mess. It looked as if someone had run in with a tornado on their heels and ran back out. The counters were covered with debris, chili, hot dog buns and half eaten hot dogs. But, if that wasn't enough, the dish washer was rattling and shaking and spewing forth bubbles. It was a sea of bubbles that the two officers kept retreating from.
"Holy shit! What happened here?" Blowfish asked when he arrived in the kitchen.
"I don't know, why would someone want to break into the Chapel, make a mess of out kitchen and not steal anything?" Ioke asked.
"Because, it wasn't some Joe off the streets…" Hoffs sighed.
"Then who was it?" Blowfish asked.
"Penhall," Ioke and Hoffs said with the same breathe.
"If he thinks I'm going to clean this mess up he has to be crazy!" Blowfish snorted.
"I know…but…."
"Can I get a raise?" Blowfish asked.
"I'll tell you what, I'll give you forty bucks to clean this up this ONE time," Ioke patted Blowfish on the shoulder, "And next time I'll kick Penhall's tail for you," he finished.
"Sounds like a plan!" Blowfish grinned, "Wow, forty bucks! My wife is going to be so happy! We can get groceries this time," he muttered as he went to go get his mop.
"How can he be underpaid?" Hoffs asked.
"I don't know," Ioke shrugged.
"You know, with Fuller away…if Blowfish put in a request for a raise…"
"And Penhall didn't see it…"
"He'd be doing it for the kids, just imagine the little ones not getting their mac'n'cheese?" Hoffs pouted.
"I say we do it," Ioke grinned.
"Me too," Hoffs laughed. Boy, Penhall was going to get it now!
Tommy McQuaid, the toughest guy to walk Main Street, snapped his gum loudly as he and Miss Kendell walked up the steps of the house. It looked to be quite small on the outside. Blinds were drawn across the big windows so the family could have a bit more privacy. It was blue with white trim, huge bushes that needed trimming and brown grass. It was as if no one bothered to take care of it.
Victoria knocked on the wooden door, and then checked her watch. She had plenty of time to do a cursory inspection for her report.
"Remember, Miss K, I have ta call my Parole Officer every night; otherwise I get sent to Federal, savvy?" Tommy reminded the woman, he gave her his most charming smile. She nodded her head. They had decided that was the only way he would be able to contact either her or Penhall and the others at the Chapel. If he missed they could remove him from the situation. And, he had to personally meet his parole officer on Saturdays as well.
The door opened and they met a heavy set man in his early forties, balding and with one grey eye and one blue eye. He didn't look too happy to see Tommy who propped an eye brow as he tried to decide if he could take the man on. He supposed he could try but that he would end up worse for wear.
"Hey, Mr. Jay! I'm Tommy," he waved his hand and gave an impertinent smile.
"Hello, I hope this isn't a bad time," Victoria said, the man snorted and moved so that the two could enter the house. Inside, it was as if they were going to give an open house. The floors had recently been vacuumed, it smelled of apple wash from the floors and Mrs. Jordan was still dusting. She wore a pink checkered dress with a white apron. Tommy thought she looked like Mrs. Cleaver.
"Amanda, Samuel, this is Tommy McQuaid," Victoria introduced the kid besides her. He shook hands with both. He couldn't help noticing how Mrs. Jordan wasn't quite happy with how dirty his hand was. She refrained from whipping the dirt off on her apron though.
"It's very nice of you to come, Tommy," she said.
"Err – thanks for taking me in," Tommy said in a manner in which he really didn't mean it. But it was polite though neither said a word.
"Where are the other kids?" Victoria asked.
"At a friend's house, they're spending the night so it's only us," Amanda shrugged in a happy manner.
"Do you mind if I look around?" Victoria asked, she didn't believe them at all.
"Sure," Amanda replied. Victoria patted Tommy on his shoulder as she passed to go upstairs.
"So, how old are you Tommy?" Samuel asked. He was still severe looking.
"Sixteen," Tommy replied.
"I read your file, you need help in school?" the man asked.
"Who needs school? My old man went straight into the army after high school," Tommy shrugged.
"Oh really?" Amanda asked.
"Yup, we've moved around a lot," Tommy replied.
"And your brother?"
"He gets to stay with Grandmum, she doesn't like me very much. Say's I'm unnatural," Tommy replied.
"Really?"
"Yup," Tommy shrugged before looking around again. "Geeze, you could eat off these floors," he muttered. "Makes me feel as if I need ta take my shoes off,"
"I'd appreciate it if you would," Amanda said. Tommy nodded and slipped out of the boots. He put them with his bag that he had set down in the entry.
"Well, everything looks satisfactory," Victoria said as she came back down the stairs. "Now, there are a few notes you will need, one) Tommy spent a few months in jail for murder – its was self defense, either way he will need to call his parole officer every night at six. Saturdays he has to meet his parole officer as well, that is at eight in the morning. If he misses these he will have to be arrested and the privilege will be taken from him," Victoria said.
"Oh?" Samuel grew fierce in his demeanor.
"Indeed," Victoria said.
"We'll see to it that he makes these appointments," Amanda smiled.
"Good, well, I have to go. Tommy, you be good, I don't want to have to inform your father about anything going wrong," Victoria glared at the boy before her. He nodded his head and blew his gum.
"Sure thing Miss Vicki!" Tommy assured her.
Amanda saw Vicki to the door, once the social worker was gone. Tommy felt the need to run. With Samuel glaring at him as if he had done something so terrible that not even a life sentence would be good enough for him.
Looks as if the shit has hit the fan…Tommy thought.
"Come, Tommy, I'll show you the room and tell you the rules. This will be the only time so you had better remember them," Amanda said in a tone that bid him not to argue with her. Tommy felt the need to do as he was told, since he wasn't exactly sure where he stood with two.
"Penhall, I need these papers signed," Hoffs said as she waltzed into the office. Penhall was watching a base ball game on public cable, it was a rerun but he was having a wonderful time of it.
"YES! And the Red Sox win!" the announcer said. Penhall groaned.
"NO, no, no!"
"What, did you bid on the game an lost?" Hoffs asked.
"No!"
"You still sound as if you lost a bet,"
"Well I didn't, now, do you want something?" Penhall snapped.
"Good grief, don't be such a stickler will ya? And yeah, you need to sign these," Hoffs said as she handed the man the papers. It was basic "signing" papers and Penhall didn't even bother to look them over. He just signed them all and handed them back. Hoffs tried to keep a smirk off her face as she thanked him. That had been too easy, now they had to think of a wonderful way to make his life hell.
Judy didn't think that Tom had deserved a punishment for talking back to Penhall the day before. Hanson didn't think it was at all a big deal, he had shrugged it off and said it was just easier to take it than to make his boyfriend angrier and end up breaking up with him. Though that reasoning didn't make sense to her, Judy had figured that Hanson was a consenting adult and could do whatever he liked. If that meant pleasing Penhall, well, than that was his business.
"Did he say anything?" Ioke inquired.
"No, looks like we'll actually get away with this and Blowfish can feed his kids," Hoffs looked proud of herself.
"I say put it on Penhall's desk, that way we can't be fingered," Ioke said. Judy agreed.
No talking after two in the afternoon
No talking back. Period.
Chores are to be done before any dinning can happen.
Everyone must be clean and put together before dinner.
If any rules are broken, punishment will be dire….if you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull side…Tommy thought as he put his clothing away. He would be sharing a room with Mikael. He had one drawer to put his stuff in, whatever was left he stowed in his bag and put it under the bed. Even his Dad hadn't been that stiff with rules. Sure, Tommy shook his head; he had gotten some spankings as a kid. But they were few and far between. Half the time it was only because he was trying to help a friend, and if he admitted guilt to his parents the punishment was far less than it would have been if he had lied to them.
Tommy knew something bad had to be going on in this house. He hadn't seen the other kids yet. But he was bound and determined to help them out. This time he wasn't after some two-penny punk with a dollar to their name, he was after two-timing adults.
A/N – Okay, please review. I hope you all enjoyed this.
Ta, Dizzy