Hey there, readers! I'm super-duper happy to bring to you the next chapter of Hall Monitors! I'm so glad that, despite the body-melting heat, I can still daydream and come up with more fun chapters! Feel free to leave a comment!
Hall Monitors (Chapter 3)
by
Elite Shade
It was a beautiful and warm day up at the Hunter Family Ranch. Audrey, setting a raspberry pie on the windowsill to cool, smiled as she looked out to the yard, seeing her grandpups and their friends playing. Lily was running along, dressed in a powder blue t-shirt with Prism Bolt on the front, and a pair of green shorts. Even at age 12, she still loved Our Mini Ostriches. Right behind her was Paul, the panther boy in a plain red shirt and jeans, grinning as he chased the human girl. Near the pumpkin patch was Trevor. The black ram was in a black shirt and jeans, carrying a butterfly net. His head floof had a lime green stripe though it. Right behind him was Cassie, his cheetah friend, who also had a net but had her phone out to film.
Alice, the black teen pup was wearing a white sundress. She was demonstrating for Qali her pirouette technique. On her shoulders was Paige. The little grey sholf cheering and giggling. Off in the distance, Marcus was approaching with Zach and Vanna, as well as Aiko, the red panda girl, in tow. Audrey sighed contentedly, feeling her heart swell with joy at the sight of all the happy pups about.
"Alright, kids," Called Dorian as he stepped out onto the porch, his tail wagging behind him, "everythang's all set up."
Lily stopped and smiled, right before Paul pounced and the two rolled around a bit, giggling. Lily ended up on top, with Paul pinned with one arm behind his back, having committed to memory the different take-down techniques her uncles and grandpa had taught her. But soon enough, the two were back on their feet, sprinting to the house.
"Faster, Allie, faster!" Paige, in her little lavender overalls and bright yellow shirt, commanded, holding onto pawfuls of Alice's headfur like reins.
"Okay, you asked for it," Alice said, before running up the steps of the porch. Paige squealed in delight. Trevor and Cassie were right behind, although the young ram looked a little disappointed.
"One of these days, we'll catch that Significant Pumpkin Uncle Ully is always talking about," he said.
"Sure..." Cassie said, the cheetah looking less than sure, but still smiling. Audrey held back a giggle, knowing that when Vernon heard about Trevor's newest project, that he was going to have a word with Ulric about it.
Vernon and Dawn sat with his three little sisters. Sadie was sitting prinly on Vern's lap, adjusting the bow on top of her lighter-colored headfur, brushing out wrinkles in her yellow dress. Between them was Rachel, wearing denim overalls, excitedly wagging her tail as she dug through the couch cushions, looking for 'Treasure', which had become her latest hobby. Quinnely, wearing her favorite red shirt and black shorts, was sitting in Dawn's lap. The ewe giggled as she held her little sister-in-law close, the little pup holding a light brown wallet that belonged to Trent. How she had managed to get it was still a mystery. In the living room there was a projection screen set up, along with a digital projector, currently hooked up to a laptop. The children and adults alike piled in, with the kids on the floor and theadults on the furniture. Vernon frowned a little while Audrey dimmed the lights.
"Honey Lamb, are y'all sure that commin' up here fer a 'viewin' party' was a good idea?" Vernon leaned over to whisper to his mate. Dawn rolled her eyes and nodded.
"Yes, Puppy," she said. "Lily was especially excited for this webisode. And we both agreed to be supportive of our pups' interests."
Vernon sighed. "I know..."
"Alright," Dorian said as everyone started to get settled in, Trent setting a big bowl of popcorn down next to the group of kids, before settling down on the couch with his own. Dorian hit play and the projector began playing.
Bad cubs, bad cubs, whatchu gunna do, whatchu gunna do when they come for you?
"Monitors is filmed on location with the boys and girls of rule enforcement. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in the principal's office," said the surprisingly deep voice... which then continued.
"In the school rule enforcement system, sugar-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In West Savannah Middle School, the dedicated hall monitors who investigate these serious violations are members of an elite group known as the Sugar Offenses Squad. These are their stories."
Donk-Donk
The screen was black before fading to reveal one of the colorful white and green hallways of West Savannah Middle School. Lily and Paul were walking together, both dressed in shorts and shirts with their hall monitor sashes. All around them were students, most of whom were dressed in attire like something from the 20's or 30's.
"So the school dance is a charity event," Paul queried, the panther boy looking at various posters along the walls advertising the fall dance, "and the theme is going to be electroswing?"
Lily nodded excitedly. "Yup! My cousin Marcus, and his friends, set it all up! The money raised is gunna go to help with a program to provide housing for homeless mammals, called New Dawn! And they're the ones who're gunna perform!" Lily said, her Meadowlands drawl giving her voice a melodic quality to it in her excitement.
"But why have an electroswing theme?"
Lily just shrugged. "They always like doin' different themes with their band and music. Last week, they made something called a dark synthwave album on their band's ZooTube account." Lily then stopped, prompting Paul to do so as well, and the camera panned to where she was looking. A nervous-looking zebra boy, wearing a vest and slacks and a brown flat cap, entering a classroom, shutting the door behind himself.
"What's wrong?" Paul asked.
"That's Mr. Roarson's classroom," Lily said flatly. She reached to her shoulder for her walkie and radioed for backup.
"So?"
"The classroom's been off limits ever since he had his little... fit..." she said, the camera following behind the two, keeping pace with them.
"You mean when he got so mad about you reporting him parking his car in a handicapped spot and that led to the officers who showed up finding out about all his unpaid parking tickets, that he pushed a bunch of beakers with different chemicals onto the floor?" Paul asked while Lily rolled her eyes. Paul then looked at the camera.
"It was determined that the chemicals were not hazardous, but unfortunately, the smell was just too powerful for too many students with more sensitive noses. The custodial staff think that it will be fine next week. Until then, the sub they have teaching chemistry is pretty much moving the class from one room to another, not sure why. And Mr. Roarson's taking some 'administrative leave'." Paul said the last bit while making air quotes, looking at Lily.
"He had a bunch of unpaid tickets and then kept parking in a handicapped space without any handicapped plates or sign to hang from his rearview mirror, all I did was call it in," Lily said as she cautiously approached the door. Paul stood to the side, readying himself, and nodded. Lily grabbed the handle, and slowly turned it. Inside, the camera panned around, showing a bunch of different students milling about and chatting, drinking from paper cups. At the center of the room was a bear girl, thematically dressed as a bartender, serving up drinks from numerous two-liter bottles of soda, set up with a series of tubes and nozzles, like a soda fountain.
"WSHM, EVERYBODY FREEZE!" Lily called out in her authoritative voice. All the kids did just that, a couple dropping their cups. Then, all of the guilty classmates started to make a run for the other door, only for it to burst open with Lily and Paul's backup. Perry, the large and very intimidating polar bear monitor boy and his partner lance, the equally large elephant boy, effectively sealed off the other exit opposite the door Lily and Paul entered, whilst more monitors streamed in behind the two partners. After a few confused seconds, order was restored, with all the guilty parties being led away to have a chat with the principal.
"Another soda speakeasy," Paul said to the camera as she showed off the impromptu bar. "This is the fourth one this week that we've busted, and we keep hearing rumors about more cropping up."
The camera cut to Lily who motioned to the sullen-looking bear girl bartender being led away. "So far, every proprietor we've apprehended has kept their mouths shut about who their suppliers are, and I'm purdy sure she's gunna be the same way."
Back to Paul who continued to explain. "This here is basically a jerry-rigged soda fountain. And it is identical to all the others. What's more, after school, we asked around various grocery stores and found that Growlbertsons' has sold two large bulk purchases of 2-liter sodas, all variety packages of different flavors, in the last two weeks. But they couldn't tell us who, as they were both paid in cash... and because we're not police."
"Well, we did learn that whoever it is bought them bulk purchases at a discount," Lily chimed in, grabbing one of the bottles and looking it over. "Ayup, this here's well past its sell by date." Lily then grabbed a clear plastic cup, opened the bottle, and poured the orange liquid inside. "Just as I suspected. That there's flatter than my grandma's awesome pancakes."
Paul sighed and rolled his eyes. Lily pointedly ignored her partner's reaction and continued to address the camera.
"So yeah, not only will we be pursuin' the bartender here and whomever's in charge of this li'l operation with violatin' the school's prohibition on sugary snacks and drinks, but also for distributing expired consumables. That's at least a three week in school suspension and absolutely a call to the parents."
"Alright," Orwell said, the older coyote boy entering while dressed in a suit and tie. "What've we got so far?"
"Hey, boss," Paul said looking the boy up and down, "you're all dressed up for the dance then?"
Orwell stiffened and nodded. "Yes... it is for charity, after all."
"Riiiight... so then you aren't planning on taking Margo to the dance with you?"
"What I choose to do in my private life is of no concern to you, Paul," Orwell said, blushing and looking away. "Besides, we've got more important matters to handle. While you guys were busy busting up this speakeasy, another couple of units were doing the same over at the custodian's closet over on the north side."
"We haven't been able to pinpoint the ringleader of it all yet," Lily said, rubbing her chin, "but from some of the customers, we've heard rumors about something big."
"Oh?" Orwell asked with a frown. Paul nodded and Lily continued.
"Yeah. The rumors seem to amount to all this being a sorta fundraiser," Lily said.
"For what?" Orwell asked.
"A soda fountain." Lily looked grim as she said it.
"Wait... you mean an actual soda fountain? Or something more like one of these," he asked, motioning to the bottles and tubes and nozzles.
"A real one, boss," Paul said. "You see, with soda fountains, the ingredients are kept separate. Mainly it just mixes the water and the syrup and injects the carbonation right before it comes out of the nozzle."
"So professional grade contraband... that would run up one pretty penny," Orwell said and Lily nodded.
"That's not all," Lily said, walking back behind the bar, pulling out a nondescript piece of white folded paper. "We gave this place a quick search before you showed up, and we found this!" Opening it, she held it so the camera could see. It was a flyer showing a black and white picture of a commercial soda fountain. The wording underneath read 'Come one and all to the grand opening of the new Bubble Lounge! Featuring our brand new, top of the line, partially used, soda fountain! Enjoy classic flavors like Coca-Koala, Sierra Hiss, Dr, Pupper, and many more! Invites only. MUST KNOW THE PASSWORD!'
"... They made and distributed fliers?" Orwell asked in disbelief.
"Yeah. Can't find any directions or clues about where this Bubble Lounge is supposed to be, other than it's somewhere here in the school. But look at the time and date listed." Lily handed the paper over to Orwell.
"They're bold, I'll give them that," Orwell said, folding the flier and pulling out a sandwich baggie to bag it with. "Same date and time as the dance, right here on school grounds."
"Makes sense though," Paul said, "what with all the festivities plus teachers and parents chaperoning, they'll be too distracted to notice some kids slipping away to get their soda fix."
"And soda certainly beats fruit punch and lemonade for refreshments," Lily added.
"Alright... Lily, Paul, I'm putting you two on this one," the coyote boy said, straightening his tie. "I'll have the other monitors up their presence at the dance, and see about getting some teachers' permission to inspect their classrooms. I'll also see if I can't talk to the principal and see if we can get permission to start inspecting other areas of the school. You two hit the linoleum and see if you can't get any more info on this whole operation."
"You got it boss," Lily and Paul said in unison. Lily then looked quizzically at their surroundings. "Huh, this classroom seems smaller than I remember
The footage glitched out a bit before being replaced with a black screen. Fading in where words in white calligraphy that read: Due to a technical error, the majority of the episode was filmed with different equipment.
With the sound of the school's PA Donk-Donk, the camera faed in, but now all that was being filmed was in black and white. There sood Lily and Paul, both now dressed for the dance theme. Lily was wearing a light colored pair of slacks with a white button-up blouse and a black tie, with a fedora. Trevor was wearing slacks with a vest and tie, with a bowler hat atop his head.
"Lookin' good, pardner," Lily said.
"Thanks! Now, I've got a couple possible leads," Paul said, whipping out a notebook and pen. "And I think our best bet will be William "Big Bill" Bullner. We've caught him at several speakeasies, plus he's got a record, all soda-related offenses. If he's not directly involved in the organization, he's definitely going to the Bubble Lounge."
"Sounds like it," Lily agreed with Paul's assessment.
"Also, I saw him earlier today, and he's dressed up for the dance."
"So?"
"He NEVER goes to school dances because, and I'm quoting him here, 'They're dumb'."
"Oh yeah, let's go pay Mr. Bullnar a visit." The two of them set off down the hall.
It was a case unlike any other we've ever gotten, Lily's voice could be heard as the two of them walked. (In white lettering appearing underneath the partners, it was explained that they had tried out some talking head interviews, but the footage from them had been garbled due to the glitch. Thankfully, the audio from them had been just fine and so, the webisode creators elected to use it.) We've run some sting operations, gone undercover, and gone toe ta toe with some tough customers... at that bake sale last month. That prairie dog family were some relentless hagglers. But Paul and I both maintained that the price was set and couldn't be changed. We stood firm then, just like now.
"Uh... Lily?" Paul asked his partner.
"Yeah?"
"Where'd you get that trench coat?" The camera swung over and panned up and down Lily, showing her now wearing a light colored trench coat in her size.
"My Auntie Qali got it fer me fer my birthday, so I could look like a real old-timey detective," Lily said proudly, her hands in her coat's pockets, smiling and giving a little spin.
"Uh, I know that part. I meant, where did you get it from just now? You weren't carrying it when we rounded the corner..." Paul looked at his partner, confused.
"It's like my auntie Ada always says, ya gotta keep 'em guessin'!" Lily said this in a perfect mimic of Ada's Barx accent.
Paul stopped and looked downright puzzled. "... That doesn't explain anything!" He jogged to keep up and the screen faded to black with a Donk-Donk, before fading back in.
On the screen the white lettering read 'School Bleachers', with a quick pan around to show Lily and Paul outside, near the baseball field. They were approaching a group of kids all gathered around in a circle, chanting and shouting in excitement and disappointment.
"Alright, WSHM, break it up," Lily said, causing several students to scatter. This revealed a plastic mini arena showing a pair of Neigh-Blades, spinning tops, falling over. Standing over the arena was a young bull, wearing suspenders and a flat cap, which he promptly whipped off his head and onto the ground.
"Ah, geeze! Great! Now they're all gunna come back, demanding refunds!" Big Bill said, glaring at the two monitors.
"Well, lookie here," Lily said, walking up to the boy, unafraid, even though he towered over her, "gambling on school property, again? With priors to boot. That's not lookin' good, Billy."
"Oh c'mon! All I was doing was charging some guys to use my arena. I can't help it if they want to place bets with each other!"
"Uh-huh. Well, Billy, today's your lucky day," said Paul with his arms crossed and a smirk on his muzzle.
"Why's that?" Big Bill asked, sweating a little.
"Y'all can tell us all about the Bubble Lounge, and we'll get outta yer hair," Lily's smirk matched Paul's.
Instantly, Big Bill looked uncomfortable, unable to meet Lily's eyes.
"I don't know nuthin' about no soda fountain..." he mumbled.
"Soda fountain? Did we say anything about a soda fountain?" Paul asked Lily.
"Nope... looks like Billy here did get himself an invite..." Big Bill recoiled and looked frustrated.
"Yer choice Billy," Lily said, "the details about the Bubble Lounge, or we take a little trip down ta the principal's office."
Big Bill whined, and then huffed. He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to Lily.
"There! The classroom and the password. I was given the invite by Craig," Big Bill said.
"Craig?" Lily asked in near disbelief. "Craig Purrguson?" When the young bull nodded, Lily looked to her partner with a raised eyebrow.
"Looks like the Spot Boys are back in business," Paul remarked. Lily turned back to Big Bill, making him flinch back a little.
"Tip Craig or any of his friends off about us, and y'all will be in a world of trouble, Billy. Understood?" When Big Bill nodded, Lily smiled and thanked him.
The Spot Boys. They've been caught five times fer soda trafficking, but they always start right back up. I guess it was inevitable that they would step up their game. Of course, that meant that we'd have to do the same... Lily's voice could be heard as she and Paul walked back to the school building, the screen fading to black.
Donk-Donk
The camera fades in, showing that the time is 6:09 pm. It's dusk outside the windows, with some stars already coming out. Lily and Paul, still in black and white and dressed up for the dance, are walking the hall. Lily smiles at the camera.
"Well, the dance has already started. Plenty of students and their families are there. It's looking like they raised lots of money for New Dawn! Anyway, we informed the boss about what we found out, so he's maneuvered several units into position. We've already got someone monitoring the classroom in process, keeping track of every student who enters it. We're gunna get as many as we can tonight."
"Yup... and then maybe have some fun at the dance too?" Paul asked, looking hopeful. Lily smiled brightly and nodded.
"Of course!" They shared a smile, before taking up positions around a corner, spotting some of their fellow monitors, also hiding. They watched as a small herd of deer kids entered the classroom. They waited a few more minutes, before finally making their move. Without a word, Lily and Paul ran up to the door and threw it open, as some other monitors at the other door did the same. Lily had opened her mouth to shout... only to be stunned silent. There was no one in the room.
"Did they leave out your guys' door?" Paul asked Orwell, who had been at the other door.
"Not a one. We were watching that door the entire time, and no one exited it."
"Well, where'd they go?" Paul asked, frustrated. The panther boy started to check the windows, which were unable to be opened. Lily looked around the room.
"Huh, this is Mr. Roarson's room," Lily said aloud. The camera followed her as she zeroed in on the wall at the far back. "This is so weird," she said.
"What is it, Lily?" Orwell asked.
"I coulda sworn that this room was almost twice as big as it is!" Lily's eyes suddenly went wide, and she stepped out of the classroom. The camera started to follow her, before she barreled back into the room, looking excited.
Paul started to talk, but Lily shushed him, and the others, and instead motioned for them to move aside. She walked to the very back of the classroom. She inspected it for a moment, and then went up to the large cabinet set in the center. It was the only thing leaning up against the wall, and Lily started to inspect where it met the wall thoroughly. She turned back and gave the monitors another excited smile. She then held her finger up to her lips to let them know all to stay quiet and stay where they were, out of sight, and opened the cabinet. Inside was nothing, but the camera zoomed in on a black rectangle that contrasted with the uniform grey of the rest of the cabinet. Lily then knocked three times and waited. The black rectangle slid back, showing a pair of blue eyes.
"What's the password?" A girl's voice asked.
"Spots Rule, Stripes Drool!" Lily said. The rectangle slid back, and there was an audible click.
"Welcome to the Bubble Lounge... oh geeze," the cheetah girl in the blue flapper dress was all smiles until a smirking Lily strode in, with the rest of the monitors rushing in behind her.
"WSHM! FREEZE!" Orwell called out, his voice taking on a strangely deep quality to it. There had to have been around twenty students, dancing to music, and paying to use the soda fountain, prominently featured in the center of the room, with a caracal boy standing right next to it in a suit and tie and fedora. The music stopped, and everyone froze. The footage skipped ahead a few minutes with kids being led away, to face school justice. Paul was looking around the room in wonder.
"So they got some kids from the shop class to knock down the wall here and in the next classroom over, which was also off limits thanks to the chemical spill, and then construct those false walls?" Paul asked, amazed.
"Yup. It'd been bugging me how I just knew that the room was supposed to be bigger, and then I remembered reading something like this in one of those Encyclopedia Growl books my uncle Wade got me. So after I got the idea, I just went and compared the rooms quickly with some other classrooms, and then when I checked the cabinet and saw that it was actually attached to the wall, I knew I was right." Lily looked so pleased with herself that she gave another happy spin.
"Great work, monitors," Orwell said, beaming at the two. "We almost ended with some egg on all our faces by finding nothing, and then you saw right through it."
"So what'll happen to the soda party goers?" Paul asked.
"Well, we got more than enough evidence. Probably have some plead out to lesser punishments. But the Spot Boys are in it deep now. They and their friends destroyed school property, in addition to distributing sugary beverages. In School Suspension for sure, and their parents are probably gunna have to pay for the damages," Orwell explained.
"All in a day's work, boss!" Lily said with a grin.
"Well, not quite..." Orwell looked uncomfortable, before he pulled out some sandwich baggies marked with red tape with Evidence written on in black marker. Inside were some samples of rock candy.
"The blue rock candy! I knew the culprit was gunna resurface!" Lily said.
"Confiscated it from some of the party goers. We don't have a face or a real name... but we did get something," Orwell said.
"What?" Lily asked, her eyes blazing.
"An alias. Whoever is cooking this up and selling it... is going by the name..." the camera zoomed in on the coyote boy's face. "Heiferberg."
The screen fades to black, and the credits start rolling. But the screen fades back in to color, the credits still rolling, showing Lily and Paul dancing together amidst a large group of their classmates and other older mammals in the gym, set up with red velvet curtains, steamers, and gold and black balloons. Up on stage was Marcus. He was dressed up in a pinstripe 3-piece-suit along with the other male members of the band, and Lizzy the Grizzly. The other girls were wearing sequin flappers. Marcus was playing a lively tune on his violin, accompanied by his friends, in what was an electroswing song.
Vernon sighed, remembering that night. Before she had run off to dance with her friend, Lily had excitedly jumped into his arms upon seeing him and Dawn. She had been ecstatic to describe to him the big case she and her friends had solved. Vernon smiled for her, but the pit of worry had returned to his gut.
"Ah, that takes me back to when I was a hall monitor in school. I had to bust up some soda rings myself," Dorian said, looking proud. Vernon sat on the couch, his mouth wide open in shock.
"Wait... Pa? Y'all had ta deal with somethin' like that too when y'all were in school?" he asked, incredulous.
"Well o'course, Vern! Every time a school bans somethin', there's always a black market fer it that crops up, without fail," Dorian said with a chuckle, with Audrey nodding along with him.
"Yeah, Vern," Trent chimed in, "don't'cha remember when we were in school? All those candy dealers?"
"Wait... what candy dealers?!" Vernon exclaimed, eliciting more than a few chuckles and giggles, especially from Lily and Dawn.
"Seriously? Y'all don't remember yer friend Joel peddlin' Grizzly Sticks fer a while there?" Zach asked, surprised.
"He what?!" Vernon looked even more shocked, never imagining that the lanky alpaca would do something like that. "How did I miss that?"
"Well, how'd y'all miss all them signals all them sheep and goat gals was givin' ya all them years too?" Zach continued, earning him a look from Vanna, silencing him. Vernon blushed while Dawn giggled some more.
"I guess I just musta not been payin' attention..." he said, before passing his sisters to Dawn and exiting the room. Dorian frowned and, after noticing that the kids were all wrapped up talking about the video, as were the adults, he got up and followed his son out into the hall.
"Wanna talk about it, son?" Dorian asked. He noticed that Vernon's ears were splayed on his head and his tail was tucked between his legs.
"Why'd Trent have ta go and keep gettin' her all them mystery solvin' books. Encyclopedia Growl, The Herdy Boys, and them Nancy Shrew books! He's practically brainwashed her!" Vernon said, a whine in his voice. Dorian chuckled and placed a comforting paw on Vernon's shoulder.
"Vern, Trent didn't go and brainwash Lily," Dorian said. "Face it Vern, yer Pups a crime solvin' prodigy."
"I-it's just a phase!" Vernon whined some more, trying to convince himself.
"Vern, she's been solvin' mysteries ever since that cherry pie caper. Like the case of the missin' street signs, and that ice cream truck heist those teens were pullin' Heck, she even led yer friends Judy and Nick to the largest narcotics maufatcurin' and smugglin' ring in the city's history and getting it shut down. All before she was even ten! I promised I wouldn't push, I've learned my lesson..but y'all look at her track record and tell me yer gonna stand in her way iffin' that's what she wants to do..."
"Sh-she's just imitatin' what she's seen y'all and Zach and Vanna, and Trent and Wade and Yuri even Ully do!"
"Son, I've seen yer brothers workin'...and...welp don't y'all dare tell 'em I said this...I'll deny it up and down. But she's better then all of 'em and she's only twelve. No exaggeratin'."
Vernon whined and nodded his head. "... I... I know, Pa... but I'm just so scared fer her. Goin' inta law enforcement... I think I know what Ma felt fer you and everyone of us but me and Xavier..."
"I know, son, it is terrifyin'... but if it's what she wants ta do with her life..."
Vernon nodded again, composing himself. "Then I'll support her."
At that moment, a giggling Lily excitedly ran into the hall. "Daddy! Grampa! I figured out who's been sneaking cookies! It's been Quinnely!"
"That's wonderful, Princess," Vernon said, smiling a little at the sight of her happy grin.
"Also, I think old Mr. Hornsington set his own boat on fire ta collect the insurance money. I found his bank statements in the trash he put at the curb, and he seems ta have a lot of gamblin' debts." Vernon sighed while Dorian smiled wide, his tail wagging. "And he changed the policy on his boat a week before it caught fire, fer a larger payout. It's funny, he did the same thing with Mrs. Hornsington's life insurance too. The change was dated on the same day on this receipt for some cruise ship tickets he purchased."
Dorian and Vernon shared a look, and Vern knew right there that he was going to have to call Nick and Judy again. He sighed, but smiled, and gladly picked up Lily, hugging her close.
And there you have it folks! I certainly hope you enjoyed this cute and silly chapter! It was a lot of fun to come up with! Be sure to consider leaving a comment or review, as those are just so wonderful!