Shirley awoke with a start. There was silence in the room and she yawned and stretched before glancing over at the bed. Then she was out of her chair and fully alert, screaming Keith's name at the top of her lungs. Silence. Panic-stricken, she looked around the room, frantically searching for some place where he might have gone. Then she heard the sound of the shower and noticed the closed bathroom door. Heaving a huge sigh of relief she strode over to the bathroom and knocked loudly. No answer. "Keith!" she called. Maybe he couldn't hear her knocking. There was still no answer. Truly frightened now, she still hesitated before going in. She didn't want to disturb her teenage son in the middle of a shower but what if something had happened? He truly wasn't strong enough to be even on his feet let alone in the bathroom alone. She prevaricated for several moments before finally making up her mind. If there was any embarrassment then she could apologise later. His wellbeing was more important than his modesty at this stage. Besides, it was nothing she hadn't seen before - and he was her son, after all! Thus resolved, she opened the door and peered through the steam …. and gasped in utter horror as she found him lying in a sodden, unconscious heap on the floor of the shower enclosure. "Keith! Oh my god!" Hurriedly, she ran forward and turned off the shower and the pulsing stream of water stopped, to be replaced by a steady 'drip … drip' until gradually, even that, too died away, leaving just the seemingly lifeless, thoroughly soaked young man and his frantic mother alone in the silence.
"Keith …" Shirley's breathy voice broke the stillness as she knelt down, pulling her son into her arms., unmindful of his sopping wet condition. The chill of his sodden body seeped into her clothes, his hair dripping rivulets of water down her neck and running down her back. He was cooling rapidly as the water chilled on his skin and his breathing was once again ragged and unsteady. She couldn't even begin to fathom how he had made it this far without collapsing beforehand and cursed herself for falling asleep, leaving him alone to face and deal with his demons. "Keith, honey, come on, you have to wake up. Sweetheart? Can you hear me? Keith?" She shook him slightly as she pleaded with him, stroking the sopping wet hair with desperate tenderness. There was no response to her fearful entreaties, however, not that she had expected one, but she wasn't sure if she could get him back to bed without assistance - either from himself or someone else. But, first things first. As his body cooled, so he was beginning to shiver uncontrollably and so, gently disengaging herself from him, she leaned her son back against the shower wall and reached for the remaining towels which hung on the rail nearby. He remained unconscious and unaware as she quickly stripped him of his saturated pajamas, wrapping the huge bathtowel around him to preserve his modesty. He didn't stir as she grabbed another, smaller towel and dried the excess moisture from his long, dark hair, nor when she rubbed his body through the larger towel, drying him off and trying to stimulate some heat in his cold skin at the same time. He was unresponsive to her voice as she spoke to him, murmuring reassurances that she knew he couldn't hear, but still prayed would bring him back to her, aware that she was talking as much for her own sake as for his, filling the awful silence with words.
Eventually, she was satisfied that he was dry - the dark hair was still gleaming with moisture but it was damp now rather than dripping wet and his poor, abused body was wrapped snugly in another of the large towels. Shakily, she stretched out one hand to feel his cheek and felt relief surge through her at the normalcy of his temperature. Now came the task of getting him from the floor of the shower back to into bed. Although he was slim and light compared to a lot of other boys his age - something that concerned her, especially when she saw how much energy he poured into their performances - he would still be no lightweight for his mother alone. But determination and fear seemed to lend her strength as she manoeuvered him upward, slinging his left arm around her shoulders and clinging onto him around his trim waist with her right arm. Thus they laboriously made their way out of the bathroom and back toward the rumpled bed. It was a slow process - although a lot quicker than his lonely journey to the bathroom earlier and Shirley was breathing heavily from the exertion by the time they reached their destination - where she unhooked his arm and eased him onto the bed, pulling the covers over his naked, trembling body. Slumping down beside him she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her swiftly beating heart before leaning over him to push his damp hair away from the drawn, grey face. She fought back tears as reaction to the last few moments threatened to overwhelm her and stared down at him, worriedly. She could imagine what had been going through his mind to compel him into the shower. She had read of similar reactions in girls who had undergone sexual assaults. Her heart ached for his pain - for the guilt and shame he so obviously felt, and she yearned to do something - anything - to help him. "Oh, sweetheart," she murmured, stroking his pallid cheek with her forefinger, feeling the smooth, cool skin beneath her touch and marvelling at the life she felt throbbing below it. "Keith, I love you, honey. You have to know that. I love you and will do anything to help you through this."
Still no response. She wasn't sure whether his weakness had overcome him in the shower or if perhaps he had slipped voluntarily into unconsciousness as his mind started to process everything that had happened and he had been unable to deal with it. She guessed at a combination of both - and mourned the loss of the boy she had known. For he would never be the same now. He was forever changed. Something had been taken from him - his trust, his innocence, his joy of life - and those were things which could never be returned. They had been stolen - and all that was left in their place was shame, degradation and a deep remorse which was not even his place to feel. She had tried to convince him that none of this was his fault, that none of it could have been helped, that the blame was entirely Joni's, that she was the one to bear the burden of guilt, but she couldn't take away the utter contempt in which he now held himself for all that he had allowed Joni to do. And it could destroy him. It could destroy all of them. And finally, unable to help herself, she burst into tears once more.
*****
Reuben and Greg had destroyed the photographs as they had vowed - and Rueben had located a suitable toilet down which to flush the remainder of the evidence. They had left Max locked up in the bus, his hands and feet tied together and a gag on his mouth. They were going to deal with him later. He had tried to protest as his feet were bound with cord from some of the curtains hanging at the bus windows but Greg had let loose with a stream of colourful invectives which had surprised even Reuben. He had accused the man of being a con artist, a selfish bastard out for his own ends, and had threatened to report him to the police for being an accessory to the rape of a minor. That had silenced the former bus driver. What he wasn't aware of was that the police were the last people Reuben and Greg were going to bring in on this and he didn't know that they had Keith stashed in the hotel instead of the local hospital, for secrecy's sake as well as the sake of the young teen idol. He had apologised profusely for his misdemeanour, and begged them to let him go, but Greg had refused and then had gagged him to prevent further comment.
After destroying the pictures, the two of them had conducted a search for Joni. But she proved as elusive as Max had been before they had chanced upon him at the bus. Knowing that lightning couldn't possibly strike twice in the same place, they had returned to the vehicle and the hotel feeling fairly dispirited. Greg had commented sourly that he wished he had held on to her when he had found her with Keith that morning and regretted giving her the opportunity to make good her escape - it seemed that Willie had been right when he had predicted that she would be impossible to find. He guessed that she would have gone off to make a 'buy' and was probably off alone somewhere getting high. But Salt Lake City was a big place and they couldn't hope to scour it all in one afternoon by themselves.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll overdose," Reuben said, unkindly. "But if we do find her or she turns up, and I get my hands on her, I won't be responsible for my actions."
Greg smiled, nastily. "You won't be the only one. I'd like to kill her myself for what she's done."
"Mr Kincaid! Mr Kincaid!" Any further conversation about Joni and her eventual fate at their hands was halted as the two youngest of the Partridge brood ran up to them, flinging themselves at Reuben in a frenzy of excitement.
"We went on the caterpillar - twice!"
"… and we ate cotton candy …"
"And Mr. Willie won us a giant dolphin on the shooting range …"
"… and he got a huge bear on the hammer thing …"
"Whoa! Whoa! Kids! Kids, calm down!" Reuben begged as they simultaneously and with great glee related the tale of their day at the amusement park. They were practically leaping all over him, grabbing his hands in order to get his attention and clinging on to his legs, nearly toppling him over in their enthusiasm. He was getting more than a little flustered and it was almost a relief when Willie himself rounded the corner of the hotel, carrying a huge blow up dolphin beneath one arm and - yes, a giant teddy bear sporting a rather colourful if garish bow tie beneath the other. He sauntered across to them, bearing his prizes, a large grin plastered across his face and stopped in front of the manager, who now rather disconcertingly had a small Partridge attached to each leg.
"Hi, Mr Kincaid! Boss!" he greeted them jovially. "Well, here's two young Partridges, delivered, safe and sound as promised. We had a great day, huh, kids?"
"Oh yeah! Mr Willie took lots of photos of us and …"
"… he gave us rides on the donkeys and .."
" … he umph!"
The clamour of childish voices was effectively silenced by a large Kincaid-shaped hand clamping itself over the two children's mouths. Then Reuben directed a mock glare in Willie's direction, trying to hold on to his two charges as they struggled ineffectually within his grip. "I've never seen these two kids so hyper!" he complained. "What've you been feeding them? Pure sugar cubes and caffeine tablets?"
Willie shrugged. "Hey, you wanted them to have a good time - and that cotton candy was just begging to be eaten … course, maybe three helpings might not have been the wisest idea …"
"Three helpings of cotton candy?" echoed Reuben, his voice going up several octaves as he glanced from Willie to Chris and Tracy and back again. "You let them have three helpings of cotton candy? I was right! You were feeding them raw sugar! Oh, their mom's gonna love this! They're probably gonna be up half the night now!" As he spoke the words, he was hard put to maintain his mock indignation. His inadvertent reference to Shirley had reminded him of the dire situation he had left her in when he had offered to take the kids for the day - and all the events since. He felt a pang of guilt at having left her all alone to deal with Keith's withdrawal, and then he recalled, somewhat belatedly, that Laurie and Danny had been present to witness his fight with Max. That had been hours ago. Had Shirley been alone since then or had they returned to the room? And what had happened to force them out in the first place? Because he was sure - as sure as he was of anything in his life - that nothing short of an apocalyptic event could have driven Laurie from her mother's side and Danny was nothing if not tenacious when it came to taking care of his family. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming compulsion to return to his suite, to find out what exactly had been happening, how Shirley and Keith were faring and whether they needed anything. He wanted to be there for them as he had been at the beginning of this entire thing.
"Uh, Reuben?"
The soft voice intruded on his thoughts and he half-turned to find Greg pointing downward toward the two kids. "Wha …?"
"I think you're choking them - hadn't you better let go?" the film maker suggested blandly.
Sure enough, his hands had accidentally tightened and the two children were making frantic gasping noises and struggling desperately to escape. Mortified, he let them go and they sprang back, rubbing their mouths and noses and staring at him reproachfully. "Oh - ah, sorry, kids," he apologised, somewhat lamely.
"We're glad you didn't go with us to the amusement park, Mr Kincaid," Tracy told him, in no uncertain terms. "We had much more fun with Mr Willie!"
"Yeah," he said, caustically. "I'll just bet you did. Look, kids, why don't you and Willie go and have a nice dinner in the restaurant …"
"Dinner?"
"In the restaurant?"
Two pairs of childish eyes lit up with anticipation at this unexpected treat, then disappointment crashed in with equal suddenness.
"What?" Reuben demanded. "What is it?"
"We don't have any money, Mr Kincaid," explained Chris, mournfully. "Mom or Keith or Laurie usually take us for something to eat."
Reuben rolled his eyes, then, with a huge, theatrical sigh, dug in his pockets and pulled out a wad of bills, which he gave to Willie. "Why don't you go with Willie here - seeing as you like him so much," he added, pointedly. "And have a meal on me."
Now they were gazing at him as if he'd lost his mind. He couldn't win with these kids. "On you?" echoed Tracy disbelievingly.
"Really?" chimed in her brother, with equal doubt.
"Yes, on me," he repeated, with not a little exasperation. "Gee, anyone would think I never paid for meals around here!"
"Well, you don't," Tracy informed him.
"But we'll take it this time!" Chris announced, as he grabbed Willie with one hand and Tracy grabbed him with the other and they dragged him off to the hotel under mock protest all the way.
"Well, now that the kids are taken care of, what are you going to do?" demanded Greg, impressed by Reuben's ploy and his act. He pretended not to care about this family, and yet, when it was threatened he became a lion, protecting his young. He was certainly a study in differences - a real dichotomy.
"I'm going to see how Shirley's getting on," Reuben replied, in a quiet but deadly voice. "I need to find out how Keith is and - well, I'm worried about them." He finished, somewhat defensively.
"Hey, calm down, man," temporised Greg, holding up a placatory hand. "You don't have to justify yourself to me. Look, why don't you do that and I'll take care of our 'friend' in the bus and then maybe I'll mount another search for Joni, see what I can find out from the 'seedier' side of the city so to speak."
Reuben nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea If you find out anything …"
"I'll be sure to come and tell you. Don't worry."
*****
Shirley glanced toward the door as she heard it open and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Reuben enter. He smiled reassuringly at her and strode across the room, his eyes riveted on Keith's senseless form. "How is he, Shirl?" he whispered as he reached the bed.
She returned his smile with one of her own, but he could see the strain beneath it. "Oh, he gave me a bit of a scare earlier when he tried to take a shower alone," she responded, the hint of a tremor in her voice.
His eyes widened. "He tried to take a shower?" he echoed, stupidly. "Why?"
Shirley narrowed her eyes as she regarded him. "Oh, Reuben," she sighed, sadly. "Why do you think?"
The penny dropped and he immediately regretted asking the question. "Oh. Right. Well … is he … okay? I mean - he didn't hurt himself, did he?"
"He collapsed in the shower," she told him, shuddering as the memory of finding her son's drenched, pitiful form lying on the floor of the shower returned to haunt her. "He - er - was a little uncooperative in the effort to get him back to bed."
"Didn't help at all, huh?" Reuben could tell that she was trying to make light of what had obviously been a frightening experience for her and smiled gently. "Well, that's Keith for you. Expects us all to carry him. You know, sometimes I wonder why we have him in the group. If it wasn't for the fact that he's the singer, the hit songwriter and he looks so great - well, we might have to put Danny up front!"
That brought a genuine smile to Shirley's face as she contemplated the spectacle. Having lived through that once, she had no desire to go through it again. Danny had been feted by a magazine a few years before and it had gone to his head ever so slightly. And whilst she considered all of her children stars in their own right, Shirley had to admit that without Keith, they would be just one more average cabaret act - in fact, they might not have an act without him. "Danny loves all the attention, that's for sure," she agreed, trying not to picture life or the group without Keith - that had been a nagging fear throughout all of this. The problem was, right now, none of them knew what his future would hold nor how he would recover from all of this - or even if he would recover.
"Yeah," drawled the manager, a speculative expression on his face as he, too, considered the consequences if Keith was unable to return to anything like normality after all this. "It's probably just as well it's Keith who's the bigger draw - Danny would be unbearable if he were the teen idol - not that he's old enough," he amended. "But can you imagine how big his head would get? And you think he's money mad now - if he was a teen idol, he'd be coming up with even crazier schemes to market himself and make his fortune!"
"He might very well end up the next Howard Hughes," reflected Shirley, her smile fading as she returned her attention to her unconscious firstborn. "Oh, Reuben, what are we going to do?"
The Partridge Family manager was suddenly very glad he had come back to keep this lady company. She looked and sounded exhausted, and it was obvious to anyone that she had been through the wringer over the last few hours. It was about time she relaxed, or at least let someone else take the burden for a while. She had carried it alone for far too long. Stepping forward, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, alarmed to discover she was trembling. "Don't worry, Shirl," he said, giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "Everything will be all right. We'll make it all right. We'll get him all the help he needs and we'll make sure that he comes out of this okay. It doesn't matter how long it takes or what we have to do - everything will be okay in the end. I promise."
It was what she wanted - needed desperately - to hear. She knew, realistically, that Reuben couldn't possibly know if Keith would be all right after this, nor if anything they did for him would help get him through, but somehow, his assurances that they would do their very best to succeed helped. His presence here helped. It was a balm to her aching soul and she was so very glad to have him back beside her again. She had missed his calming company more than she had wanted to admit. Now she could relax a little and let someone else take some of the burden from her shoulders - although she wasn't about to leave her son's side. Keith needed her. And while he needed her she would be here.
"Why don't you get some rest?" suggested Reuben. "You look a little tired."
She shook her head. "No. Oh, it's not that I'm not tired," she clarified, "I feel like I could sleep for a week, but I need to be here with him. I want to be here, Reuben."
"Sure, sure," the Partridge Family manager said soothingly. "But I'll be here if you need me. You don't have to do this all alone, you know."
Reaching over her son's supine form, she took Reuben's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know," she said, gratefully, "and you don't know how thankful I am to you for that." Then, frowning as a thought suddenly occurred to her, she went on, "Reuben, where are the kids?"
"The kids?" he echoed, blankly. "Oh, the kids! They're with Willie the cameraman in he restaurant. Not that they should eat much," he went on, ruefully. "They had a lot of cotton candy at the amusement park."
Shirley quirked her eyebrows at him and half-smiled. "Oh Reuben, Chris and Tracy could eat their weight in cotton candy or any sweets and still have room for a king sized meal! Uh - who's paying, by the way? Isn't the restaurant a little pricey?"
"Paying?" He was aware that he was beginning to sound like a parrot. "Oh, paying! Well," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly, "Me. I'm paying. I mean, I gave Willie some money to buy the kids a meal."
"You did?" Shirley regarded him incredulously. "You paid for the restaurant?"
"Yes, I paid for it!" He was practically spluttering with mock indignation. "What? Does no-one think I'm capable of paying for anything? What is wrong with you people?"
Shirley's lips trembled. Reuben in full flow was pretty amusing - even in such dire circumstances. And god knew, she needed a laugh right now. "Well, Reuben," she began, "you have to admit …"
"Admit what?" he demanded. Was that real huffiness in his voice? She decided enough was enough, and smiled, squeezing his hand again.
"Nothing, Reuben, nothing. Actually, I'm very grateful for your caution with finance. It's stood us in good stead over the years and the Trust Funds for the kids were a great idea - as were the investments you made for us."
"Yes, they are paying dividends, aren't they?" he said, somewhat mollified by her praise. "Now, you do know I only invested the money in safe stocks and shares, don't you?" he enquired. "I wouldn't take any chances with the kids' futures - or yours," he added. "I'm trying to look after you guys, you know."
"I know," she said, gently. "And you're succeeding very well, Reuben. I know that we have the best person looking after our interests and … I couldn't have gone through this without your support. Thank you."
Now he looked embarrassed and squirmed uncomfortably. "Aw, Shirley - it's nothing. You know … I mean … "
"It's not nothing," she told him, firmly. "I am so glad you're here. It gives me someone to talk to."
"Someone other than Danny?"
She shrugged. "Danny's a wonder sometimes and he does act awfully grown up, but seeing his brother like this has really thrown him for a loop. He was so upset, Reuben. I've never seen him so distraught over anything before. And poor Laurie was trying so hard to be brave and comfort us both - but it's hard on the kids. Which is why we have to keep Chris and Tracy away from all of this as long as possible. They wouldn't understand - they're too young; and this would terrify them. Besides, Keith was distressed enough when he realised Laurie and Danny were here and they're closer to him in age. He couldn't stand having Chris and Tracy see him like this."
Reuben nodded. "I agree," he said. "I'll go down in a bit and try and talk Willie into looking after them a bit longer. Oh, he's okay," he continued, hurriedly, to Shirley's worried look. "He took them to the amusement park this afternoon while we searched for … Joni." It was a white lie, but one he did not regret. He had made the decision sometime earlier to keep from Shirley the discovery and ultimate fate of the pictures of Keith. He didn't know how he was going to tell her about the rest of it, though. "He's okay, Shirley, honest," he repeated, trying to reassure her.
She looked doubtful and a little hurt. Obviously she wasn't too pleased about his handing the kids off to yet another of Greg's entourage, especially after what Joni had done to Keith, but Willie had seemed okay and he had taken the kids to the amusement park and obviously gotten them back safely so she guessed she could trust him. Nevertheless … "Reuben, I'd be grateful if you could go and check on them," she said. "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but - well, I'd feel happier if I knew they were safe.
Maybe Laurie and Danny could look after them for the evening - it would give them both something else to focus on other than Keith's problems."
"That's a good idea." He eyed her speculatively. "Has anyone got you anything to eat today, by the way?" he probed.
She shook her head. "I wasn't hungry …"
"Not hungry?" he echoed. He sighed. "Shirley, you have to keep your strength up. Please tell me you've at least had something to drink."
"Drink?" She stared at him as if he'd grown another head. "I …"
Reuben threw his hands up in exasperation. "I don't believe it!" he cried. Without further ado, he rose from the bed and strode over to the phone. "I'm going to call room service and order us some food," he said. There was a decisiveness in his tone with which she didn't dare argue and so Shirley remained meekly seated on the bed, looking mildly perturbed at this turn of events. She wasn't accustomed to being dictated to like this, but all the same, it felt good to have someone else take control just for a while.
*****
Fifteen minutes later, the food arrived, and both adults tucked in. They both discovered that they were ravenous and the large plate of sandwiches which Reuben had ordered for them was soon divested of everything but crumbs. Shirley actually felt a little better for having eaten and silently blessed Reuben's insight and insistence that she eat something. She was so thankful that he was there, taking some of the pressure off her, thinking about the mundane, everyday things that her own brain couldn't cope with at present, so fully focused was she on Keith.
Keith didn't stir throughout the room service delivery - which was taken at the door by Reuben who didn't want to allow anyone access to the room - and continued sleeping until well into the evening. As the sun set and the shadows lengthened, bringing semi-darkness to the room, he began to thrash fitfully. Shirley, seated beside him on the bed, stroked his forehead tenderly, trying to soothe his restlessness, although he didn't awaken and seemed oblivious to her presence and her touch. He was caught in the throes of his own personal nightmare, where the events of the night repeated themselves in an endless, sadistic loop, replaying over and over again, sending the same terrible images tumbling incessantly through his mind. No matter where he turned or how much he protested, escape proved to be impossible and he was forced to re-live each and every moment, swamped with guilt, drowning in shame and horror.
Shirley watched as her son endured his own personal hell once more, her helplessness increasing as the words she uttered seemed to have no effect and her touch was seemingly ignored. Reuben offered his silent support, sometimes standing behind her, hands on her shoulders as she clasped Keith's hand gently in her own; sometimes moving quietly around the room, straightening things up, opening windows, closing curtains on the swiftly falling dusk. He had made a brief trip to the restaurant as Shirley had requested to discover that Laurie and Danny had already joined Willie and the kinds. Taking Laurie aside, he had informed her of her mother's wishes regarding Chris and Tracy and she readily agreed, torn as she was between the desire to go back and see her older brother and her fear of watching him suffer again. She returned to the table at which they were all seated racking her brains for a plausible excuse to give them for the absence of their mother and Keith, only to find that Danny had beaten her to it and had told them - in answer to that very question - that Mom and their elder brother had gone to the venue to check it out and were doing some late shopping, and probably wouldn't return until the two of them had gone to bed. This seemed to satisfy the two youngest Partridges - although Chris eyed his older brother with suspicion for a few moments.
*****
Laurie and Danny had spent most of the afternoon in the restaurant. It was fairly empty and the staff had allowed them to stay, figuring that if they needed the table for the rush later they could always ask the two to leave - or order something else to eat. As it happened, the airport traffic had subsided, leaving the hotel fairly empty so the restaurant was not busy and they were left pretty much alone. Occasionally, they ordered a couple of cokes or 7-ups but it was late afternoon before they saw any other activity in the place. They were a little surprised to see Willie being towed by the two youngest of the brood, but when he saw them he had made a beeline for their table and asked if he could join them. Then he had proceeded to inform them of Reuben's generous (and apparently uncharacteristic) offer - which had Danny's eyes grow wide with astonishment. Even Laurie commented on the unheard of generosity. It was just as well Reuben had been upstairs and not present to hear these further slurs on his character and the inference that he was a miser.
"Mr Kincaid's obviously sick," remarked Danny, shaking his head sadly at the prospect. "Maybe we should call a doctor."
Laurie smiled. "Danny, just because Reuben's finally sprung for dinner doesn't mean he's ill!"
"Well, can you think of any other explanation?"
"Maybe he's just being generous?" she suggested, mildly.
"Generous?" Danny spluttered in astonishment. "Mr Kincaid? Generous? Laurie, those two words don't even belong together in the same sentence!"
"Well, I think you're being a little unfair," she told him reproachfully. "And mean."
"Yeah, Danny, you're being mean," chimed in Tracy, gleefully. Chris nodded, agreeing with his sisters, and Willie just looked on, amused by the entire thing.
Danny glared at her - which had no effect at all as she just stuck out her tongue at him in response. Sighing heavily, he turned back to his older sister. "Laurie," he said, in a tone of great patience he reserved for particularly stupid people, "you misunderstand me."
"Really?" She regarded him with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, really. When I infer that Mr Kincaid is mean or stingy, I'm not saying it in a bad way."
"Oh?" Her eyes were dancing with amusement. She couldn't wait to hear this one! "What other way is there to say it?"
"I am merely pointing out that Mr Kincaid is very frugal with his money," he explained, in that superior tone which made her want to whack him one. "A trait I can certainly admire and understand, being a man of means myself and as careful as I am with my money."
"Careful?" Laurie echoed scornfully. "You're so careful with your money you have a combination lock on your piggy bank!"
"Exactly! So, you see, I can understand Mr Kincaid's desire to protect his finances - which is why I find all this very unsettling."
His sister shook her head and giggled.
"What?" he demanded querulously. "What did I say?"
"Oh, Danny," she said, when she could control her laughter, "sometimes, I think Mr Kincaid's right and you really are a 35 year old midget hiding inside a kid's body!"
Danny would have hit her, but his parents had always impressed upon him how wrong it was to hit a female (punching Gloria Hickey in the arm was completely different and a very intimate act for him), so instead he settled on an evil-eyed glare, which just had the effect of sending her into fresh peals of laughter and did nothing at all for his ego. He spent the rest of the meal in a sulk, plotting the downfall of one Laurie Partridge, but the mini-argument had had the desired effect of taking their minds almost completely off the situation in the suite upstairs.
"Keith …" Shirley's breathy voice broke the stillness as she knelt down, pulling her son into her arms., unmindful of his sopping wet condition. The chill of his sodden body seeped into her clothes, his hair dripping rivulets of water down her neck and running down her back. He was cooling rapidly as the water chilled on his skin and his breathing was once again ragged and unsteady. She couldn't even begin to fathom how he had made it this far without collapsing beforehand and cursed herself for falling asleep, leaving him alone to face and deal with his demons. "Keith, honey, come on, you have to wake up. Sweetheart? Can you hear me? Keith?" She shook him slightly as she pleaded with him, stroking the sopping wet hair with desperate tenderness. There was no response to her fearful entreaties, however, not that she had expected one, but she wasn't sure if she could get him back to bed without assistance - either from himself or someone else. But, first things first. As his body cooled, so he was beginning to shiver uncontrollably and so, gently disengaging herself from him, she leaned her son back against the shower wall and reached for the remaining towels which hung on the rail nearby. He remained unconscious and unaware as she quickly stripped him of his saturated pajamas, wrapping the huge bathtowel around him to preserve his modesty. He didn't stir as she grabbed another, smaller towel and dried the excess moisture from his long, dark hair, nor when she rubbed his body through the larger towel, drying him off and trying to stimulate some heat in his cold skin at the same time. He was unresponsive to her voice as she spoke to him, murmuring reassurances that she knew he couldn't hear, but still prayed would bring him back to her, aware that she was talking as much for her own sake as for his, filling the awful silence with words.
Eventually, she was satisfied that he was dry - the dark hair was still gleaming with moisture but it was damp now rather than dripping wet and his poor, abused body was wrapped snugly in another of the large towels. Shakily, she stretched out one hand to feel his cheek and felt relief surge through her at the normalcy of his temperature. Now came the task of getting him from the floor of the shower back to into bed. Although he was slim and light compared to a lot of other boys his age - something that concerned her, especially when she saw how much energy he poured into their performances - he would still be no lightweight for his mother alone. But determination and fear seemed to lend her strength as she manoeuvered him upward, slinging his left arm around her shoulders and clinging onto him around his trim waist with her right arm. Thus they laboriously made their way out of the bathroom and back toward the rumpled bed. It was a slow process - although a lot quicker than his lonely journey to the bathroom earlier and Shirley was breathing heavily from the exertion by the time they reached their destination - where she unhooked his arm and eased him onto the bed, pulling the covers over his naked, trembling body. Slumping down beside him she took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her swiftly beating heart before leaning over him to push his damp hair away from the drawn, grey face. She fought back tears as reaction to the last few moments threatened to overwhelm her and stared down at him, worriedly. She could imagine what had been going through his mind to compel him into the shower. She had read of similar reactions in girls who had undergone sexual assaults. Her heart ached for his pain - for the guilt and shame he so obviously felt, and she yearned to do something - anything - to help him. "Oh, sweetheart," she murmured, stroking his pallid cheek with her forefinger, feeling the smooth, cool skin beneath her touch and marvelling at the life she felt throbbing below it. "Keith, I love you, honey. You have to know that. I love you and will do anything to help you through this."
Still no response. She wasn't sure whether his weakness had overcome him in the shower or if perhaps he had slipped voluntarily into unconsciousness as his mind started to process everything that had happened and he had been unable to deal with it. She guessed at a combination of both - and mourned the loss of the boy she had known. For he would never be the same now. He was forever changed. Something had been taken from him - his trust, his innocence, his joy of life - and those were things which could never be returned. They had been stolen - and all that was left in their place was shame, degradation and a deep remorse which was not even his place to feel. She had tried to convince him that none of this was his fault, that none of it could have been helped, that the blame was entirely Joni's, that she was the one to bear the burden of guilt, but she couldn't take away the utter contempt in which he now held himself for all that he had allowed Joni to do. And it could destroy him. It could destroy all of them. And finally, unable to help herself, she burst into tears once more.
*****
Reuben and Greg had destroyed the photographs as they had vowed - and Rueben had located a suitable toilet down which to flush the remainder of the evidence. They had left Max locked up in the bus, his hands and feet tied together and a gag on his mouth. They were going to deal with him later. He had tried to protest as his feet were bound with cord from some of the curtains hanging at the bus windows but Greg had let loose with a stream of colourful invectives which had surprised even Reuben. He had accused the man of being a con artist, a selfish bastard out for his own ends, and had threatened to report him to the police for being an accessory to the rape of a minor. That had silenced the former bus driver. What he wasn't aware of was that the police were the last people Reuben and Greg were going to bring in on this and he didn't know that they had Keith stashed in the hotel instead of the local hospital, for secrecy's sake as well as the sake of the young teen idol. He had apologised profusely for his misdemeanour, and begged them to let him go, but Greg had refused and then had gagged him to prevent further comment.
After destroying the pictures, the two of them had conducted a search for Joni. But she proved as elusive as Max had been before they had chanced upon him at the bus. Knowing that lightning couldn't possibly strike twice in the same place, they had returned to the vehicle and the hotel feeling fairly dispirited. Greg had commented sourly that he wished he had held on to her when he had found her with Keith that morning and regretted giving her the opportunity to make good her escape - it seemed that Willie had been right when he had predicted that she would be impossible to find. He guessed that she would have gone off to make a 'buy' and was probably off alone somewhere getting high. But Salt Lake City was a big place and they couldn't hope to scour it all in one afternoon by themselves.
"Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll overdose," Reuben said, unkindly. "But if we do find her or she turns up, and I get my hands on her, I won't be responsible for my actions."
Greg smiled, nastily. "You won't be the only one. I'd like to kill her myself for what she's done."
"Mr Kincaid! Mr Kincaid!" Any further conversation about Joni and her eventual fate at their hands was halted as the two youngest of the Partridge brood ran up to them, flinging themselves at Reuben in a frenzy of excitement.
"We went on the caterpillar - twice!"
"… and we ate cotton candy …"
"And Mr. Willie won us a giant dolphin on the shooting range …"
"… and he got a huge bear on the hammer thing …"
"Whoa! Whoa! Kids! Kids, calm down!" Reuben begged as they simultaneously and with great glee related the tale of their day at the amusement park. They were practically leaping all over him, grabbing his hands in order to get his attention and clinging on to his legs, nearly toppling him over in their enthusiasm. He was getting more than a little flustered and it was almost a relief when Willie himself rounded the corner of the hotel, carrying a huge blow up dolphin beneath one arm and - yes, a giant teddy bear sporting a rather colourful if garish bow tie beneath the other. He sauntered across to them, bearing his prizes, a large grin plastered across his face and stopped in front of the manager, who now rather disconcertingly had a small Partridge attached to each leg.
"Hi, Mr Kincaid! Boss!" he greeted them jovially. "Well, here's two young Partridges, delivered, safe and sound as promised. We had a great day, huh, kids?"
"Oh yeah! Mr Willie took lots of photos of us and …"
"… he gave us rides on the donkeys and .."
" … he umph!"
The clamour of childish voices was effectively silenced by a large Kincaid-shaped hand clamping itself over the two children's mouths. Then Reuben directed a mock glare in Willie's direction, trying to hold on to his two charges as they struggled ineffectually within his grip. "I've never seen these two kids so hyper!" he complained. "What've you been feeding them? Pure sugar cubes and caffeine tablets?"
Willie shrugged. "Hey, you wanted them to have a good time - and that cotton candy was just begging to be eaten … course, maybe three helpings might not have been the wisest idea …"
"Three helpings of cotton candy?" echoed Reuben, his voice going up several octaves as he glanced from Willie to Chris and Tracy and back again. "You let them have three helpings of cotton candy? I was right! You were feeding them raw sugar! Oh, their mom's gonna love this! They're probably gonna be up half the night now!" As he spoke the words, he was hard put to maintain his mock indignation. His inadvertent reference to Shirley had reminded him of the dire situation he had left her in when he had offered to take the kids for the day - and all the events since. He felt a pang of guilt at having left her all alone to deal with Keith's withdrawal, and then he recalled, somewhat belatedly, that Laurie and Danny had been present to witness his fight with Max. That had been hours ago. Had Shirley been alone since then or had they returned to the room? And what had happened to force them out in the first place? Because he was sure - as sure as he was of anything in his life - that nothing short of an apocalyptic event could have driven Laurie from her mother's side and Danny was nothing if not tenacious when it came to taking care of his family. Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming compulsion to return to his suite, to find out what exactly had been happening, how Shirley and Keith were faring and whether they needed anything. He wanted to be there for them as he had been at the beginning of this entire thing.
"Uh, Reuben?"
The soft voice intruded on his thoughts and he half-turned to find Greg pointing downward toward the two kids. "Wha …?"
"I think you're choking them - hadn't you better let go?" the film maker suggested blandly.
Sure enough, his hands had accidentally tightened and the two children were making frantic gasping noises and struggling desperately to escape. Mortified, he let them go and they sprang back, rubbing their mouths and noses and staring at him reproachfully. "Oh - ah, sorry, kids," he apologised, somewhat lamely.
"We're glad you didn't go with us to the amusement park, Mr Kincaid," Tracy told him, in no uncertain terms. "We had much more fun with Mr Willie!"
"Yeah," he said, caustically. "I'll just bet you did. Look, kids, why don't you and Willie go and have a nice dinner in the restaurant …"
"Dinner?"
"In the restaurant?"
Two pairs of childish eyes lit up with anticipation at this unexpected treat, then disappointment crashed in with equal suddenness.
"What?" Reuben demanded. "What is it?"
"We don't have any money, Mr Kincaid," explained Chris, mournfully. "Mom or Keith or Laurie usually take us for something to eat."
Reuben rolled his eyes, then, with a huge, theatrical sigh, dug in his pockets and pulled out a wad of bills, which he gave to Willie. "Why don't you go with Willie here - seeing as you like him so much," he added, pointedly. "And have a meal on me."
Now they were gazing at him as if he'd lost his mind. He couldn't win with these kids. "On you?" echoed Tracy disbelievingly.
"Really?" chimed in her brother, with equal doubt.
"Yes, on me," he repeated, with not a little exasperation. "Gee, anyone would think I never paid for meals around here!"
"Well, you don't," Tracy informed him.
"But we'll take it this time!" Chris announced, as he grabbed Willie with one hand and Tracy grabbed him with the other and they dragged him off to the hotel under mock protest all the way.
"Well, now that the kids are taken care of, what are you going to do?" demanded Greg, impressed by Reuben's ploy and his act. He pretended not to care about this family, and yet, when it was threatened he became a lion, protecting his young. He was certainly a study in differences - a real dichotomy.
"I'm going to see how Shirley's getting on," Reuben replied, in a quiet but deadly voice. "I need to find out how Keith is and - well, I'm worried about them." He finished, somewhat defensively.
"Hey, calm down, man," temporised Greg, holding up a placatory hand. "You don't have to justify yourself to me. Look, why don't you do that and I'll take care of our 'friend' in the bus and then maybe I'll mount another search for Joni, see what I can find out from the 'seedier' side of the city so to speak."
Reuben nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea If you find out anything …"
"I'll be sure to come and tell you. Don't worry."
*****
Shirley glanced toward the door as she heard it open and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Reuben enter. He smiled reassuringly at her and strode across the room, his eyes riveted on Keith's senseless form. "How is he, Shirl?" he whispered as he reached the bed.
She returned his smile with one of her own, but he could see the strain beneath it. "Oh, he gave me a bit of a scare earlier when he tried to take a shower alone," she responded, the hint of a tremor in her voice.
His eyes widened. "He tried to take a shower?" he echoed, stupidly. "Why?"
Shirley narrowed her eyes as she regarded him. "Oh, Reuben," she sighed, sadly. "Why do you think?"
The penny dropped and he immediately regretted asking the question. "Oh. Right. Well … is he … okay? I mean - he didn't hurt himself, did he?"
"He collapsed in the shower," she told him, shuddering as the memory of finding her son's drenched, pitiful form lying on the floor of the shower returned to haunt her. "He - er - was a little uncooperative in the effort to get him back to bed."
"Didn't help at all, huh?" Reuben could tell that she was trying to make light of what had obviously been a frightening experience for her and smiled gently. "Well, that's Keith for you. Expects us all to carry him. You know, sometimes I wonder why we have him in the group. If it wasn't for the fact that he's the singer, the hit songwriter and he looks so great - well, we might have to put Danny up front!"
That brought a genuine smile to Shirley's face as she contemplated the spectacle. Having lived through that once, she had no desire to go through it again. Danny had been feted by a magazine a few years before and it had gone to his head ever so slightly. And whilst she considered all of her children stars in their own right, Shirley had to admit that without Keith, they would be just one more average cabaret act - in fact, they might not have an act without him. "Danny loves all the attention, that's for sure," she agreed, trying not to picture life or the group without Keith - that had been a nagging fear throughout all of this. The problem was, right now, none of them knew what his future would hold nor how he would recover from all of this - or even if he would recover.
"Yeah," drawled the manager, a speculative expression on his face as he, too, considered the consequences if Keith was unable to return to anything like normality after all this. "It's probably just as well it's Keith who's the bigger draw - Danny would be unbearable if he were the teen idol - not that he's old enough," he amended. "But can you imagine how big his head would get? And you think he's money mad now - if he was a teen idol, he'd be coming up with even crazier schemes to market himself and make his fortune!"
"He might very well end up the next Howard Hughes," reflected Shirley, her smile fading as she returned her attention to her unconscious firstborn. "Oh, Reuben, what are we going to do?"
The Partridge Family manager was suddenly very glad he had come back to keep this lady company. She looked and sounded exhausted, and it was obvious to anyone that she had been through the wringer over the last few hours. It was about time she relaxed, or at least let someone else take the burden for a while. She had carried it alone for far too long. Stepping forward, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, alarmed to discover she was trembling. "Don't worry, Shirl," he said, giving her a gentle squeeze of reassurance. "Everything will be all right. We'll make it all right. We'll get him all the help he needs and we'll make sure that he comes out of this okay. It doesn't matter how long it takes or what we have to do - everything will be okay in the end. I promise."
It was what she wanted - needed desperately - to hear. She knew, realistically, that Reuben couldn't possibly know if Keith would be all right after this, nor if anything they did for him would help get him through, but somehow, his assurances that they would do their very best to succeed helped. His presence here helped. It was a balm to her aching soul and she was so very glad to have him back beside her again. She had missed his calming company more than she had wanted to admit. Now she could relax a little and let someone else take some of the burden from her shoulders - although she wasn't about to leave her son's side. Keith needed her. And while he needed her she would be here.
"Why don't you get some rest?" suggested Reuben. "You look a little tired."
She shook her head. "No. Oh, it's not that I'm not tired," she clarified, "I feel like I could sleep for a week, but I need to be here with him. I want to be here, Reuben."
"Sure, sure," the Partridge Family manager said soothingly. "But I'll be here if you need me. You don't have to do this all alone, you know."
Reaching over her son's supine form, she took Reuben's hand and squeezed it tightly. "I know," she said, gratefully, "and you don't know how thankful I am to you for that." Then, frowning as a thought suddenly occurred to her, she went on, "Reuben, where are the kids?"
"The kids?" he echoed, blankly. "Oh, the kids! They're with Willie the cameraman in he restaurant. Not that they should eat much," he went on, ruefully. "They had a lot of cotton candy at the amusement park."
Shirley quirked her eyebrows at him and half-smiled. "Oh Reuben, Chris and Tracy could eat their weight in cotton candy or any sweets and still have room for a king sized meal! Uh - who's paying, by the way? Isn't the restaurant a little pricey?"
"Paying?" He was aware that he was beginning to sound like a parrot. "Oh, paying! Well," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly, "Me. I'm paying. I mean, I gave Willie some money to buy the kids a meal."
"You did?" Shirley regarded him incredulously. "You paid for the restaurant?"
"Yes, I paid for it!" He was practically spluttering with mock indignation. "What? Does no-one think I'm capable of paying for anything? What is wrong with you people?"
Shirley's lips trembled. Reuben in full flow was pretty amusing - even in such dire circumstances. And god knew, she needed a laugh right now. "Well, Reuben," she began, "you have to admit …"
"Admit what?" he demanded. Was that real huffiness in his voice? She decided enough was enough, and smiled, squeezing his hand again.
"Nothing, Reuben, nothing. Actually, I'm very grateful for your caution with finance. It's stood us in good stead over the years and the Trust Funds for the kids were a great idea - as were the investments you made for us."
"Yes, they are paying dividends, aren't they?" he said, somewhat mollified by her praise. "Now, you do know I only invested the money in safe stocks and shares, don't you?" he enquired. "I wouldn't take any chances with the kids' futures - or yours," he added. "I'm trying to look after you guys, you know."
"I know," she said, gently. "And you're succeeding very well, Reuben. I know that we have the best person looking after our interests and … I couldn't have gone through this without your support. Thank you."
Now he looked embarrassed and squirmed uncomfortably. "Aw, Shirley - it's nothing. You know … I mean … "
"It's not nothing," she told him, firmly. "I am so glad you're here. It gives me someone to talk to."
"Someone other than Danny?"
She shrugged. "Danny's a wonder sometimes and he does act awfully grown up, but seeing his brother like this has really thrown him for a loop. He was so upset, Reuben. I've never seen him so distraught over anything before. And poor Laurie was trying so hard to be brave and comfort us both - but it's hard on the kids. Which is why we have to keep Chris and Tracy away from all of this as long as possible. They wouldn't understand - they're too young; and this would terrify them. Besides, Keith was distressed enough when he realised Laurie and Danny were here and they're closer to him in age. He couldn't stand having Chris and Tracy see him like this."
Reuben nodded. "I agree," he said. "I'll go down in a bit and try and talk Willie into looking after them a bit longer. Oh, he's okay," he continued, hurriedly, to Shirley's worried look. "He took them to the amusement park this afternoon while we searched for … Joni." It was a white lie, but one he did not regret. He had made the decision sometime earlier to keep from Shirley the discovery and ultimate fate of the pictures of Keith. He didn't know how he was going to tell her about the rest of it, though. "He's okay, Shirley, honest," he repeated, trying to reassure her.
She looked doubtful and a little hurt. Obviously she wasn't too pleased about his handing the kids off to yet another of Greg's entourage, especially after what Joni had done to Keith, but Willie had seemed okay and he had taken the kids to the amusement park and obviously gotten them back safely so she guessed she could trust him. Nevertheless … "Reuben, I'd be grateful if you could go and check on them," she said. "Maybe I'm being paranoid, but - well, I'd feel happier if I knew they were safe.
Maybe Laurie and Danny could look after them for the evening - it would give them both something else to focus on other than Keith's problems."
"That's a good idea." He eyed her speculatively. "Has anyone got you anything to eat today, by the way?" he probed.
She shook her head. "I wasn't hungry …"
"Not hungry?" he echoed. He sighed. "Shirley, you have to keep your strength up. Please tell me you've at least had something to drink."
"Drink?" She stared at him as if he'd grown another head. "I …"
Reuben threw his hands up in exasperation. "I don't believe it!" he cried. Without further ado, he rose from the bed and strode over to the phone. "I'm going to call room service and order us some food," he said. There was a decisiveness in his tone with which she didn't dare argue and so Shirley remained meekly seated on the bed, looking mildly perturbed at this turn of events. She wasn't accustomed to being dictated to like this, but all the same, it felt good to have someone else take control just for a while.
*****
Fifteen minutes later, the food arrived, and both adults tucked in. They both discovered that they were ravenous and the large plate of sandwiches which Reuben had ordered for them was soon divested of everything but crumbs. Shirley actually felt a little better for having eaten and silently blessed Reuben's insight and insistence that she eat something. She was so thankful that he was there, taking some of the pressure off her, thinking about the mundane, everyday things that her own brain couldn't cope with at present, so fully focused was she on Keith.
Keith didn't stir throughout the room service delivery - which was taken at the door by Reuben who didn't want to allow anyone access to the room - and continued sleeping until well into the evening. As the sun set and the shadows lengthened, bringing semi-darkness to the room, he began to thrash fitfully. Shirley, seated beside him on the bed, stroked his forehead tenderly, trying to soothe his restlessness, although he didn't awaken and seemed oblivious to her presence and her touch. He was caught in the throes of his own personal nightmare, where the events of the night repeated themselves in an endless, sadistic loop, replaying over and over again, sending the same terrible images tumbling incessantly through his mind. No matter where he turned or how much he protested, escape proved to be impossible and he was forced to re-live each and every moment, swamped with guilt, drowning in shame and horror.
Shirley watched as her son endured his own personal hell once more, her helplessness increasing as the words she uttered seemed to have no effect and her touch was seemingly ignored. Reuben offered his silent support, sometimes standing behind her, hands on her shoulders as she clasped Keith's hand gently in her own; sometimes moving quietly around the room, straightening things up, opening windows, closing curtains on the swiftly falling dusk. He had made a brief trip to the restaurant as Shirley had requested to discover that Laurie and Danny had already joined Willie and the kinds. Taking Laurie aside, he had informed her of her mother's wishes regarding Chris and Tracy and she readily agreed, torn as she was between the desire to go back and see her older brother and her fear of watching him suffer again. She returned to the table at which they were all seated racking her brains for a plausible excuse to give them for the absence of their mother and Keith, only to find that Danny had beaten her to it and had told them - in answer to that very question - that Mom and their elder brother had gone to the venue to check it out and were doing some late shopping, and probably wouldn't return until the two of them had gone to bed. This seemed to satisfy the two youngest Partridges - although Chris eyed his older brother with suspicion for a few moments.
*****
Laurie and Danny had spent most of the afternoon in the restaurant. It was fairly empty and the staff had allowed them to stay, figuring that if they needed the table for the rush later they could always ask the two to leave - or order something else to eat. As it happened, the airport traffic had subsided, leaving the hotel fairly empty so the restaurant was not busy and they were left pretty much alone. Occasionally, they ordered a couple of cokes or 7-ups but it was late afternoon before they saw any other activity in the place. They were a little surprised to see Willie being towed by the two youngest of the brood, but when he saw them he had made a beeline for their table and asked if he could join them. Then he had proceeded to inform them of Reuben's generous (and apparently uncharacteristic) offer - which had Danny's eyes grow wide with astonishment. Even Laurie commented on the unheard of generosity. It was just as well Reuben had been upstairs and not present to hear these further slurs on his character and the inference that he was a miser.
"Mr Kincaid's obviously sick," remarked Danny, shaking his head sadly at the prospect. "Maybe we should call a doctor."
Laurie smiled. "Danny, just because Reuben's finally sprung for dinner doesn't mean he's ill!"
"Well, can you think of any other explanation?"
"Maybe he's just being generous?" she suggested, mildly.
"Generous?" Danny spluttered in astonishment. "Mr Kincaid? Generous? Laurie, those two words don't even belong together in the same sentence!"
"Well, I think you're being a little unfair," she told him reproachfully. "And mean."
"Yeah, Danny, you're being mean," chimed in Tracy, gleefully. Chris nodded, agreeing with his sisters, and Willie just looked on, amused by the entire thing.
Danny glared at her - which had no effect at all as she just stuck out her tongue at him in response. Sighing heavily, he turned back to his older sister. "Laurie," he said, in a tone of great patience he reserved for particularly stupid people, "you misunderstand me."
"Really?" She regarded him with raised eyebrows.
"Yes, really. When I infer that Mr Kincaid is mean or stingy, I'm not saying it in a bad way."
"Oh?" Her eyes were dancing with amusement. She couldn't wait to hear this one! "What other way is there to say it?"
"I am merely pointing out that Mr Kincaid is very frugal with his money," he explained, in that superior tone which made her want to whack him one. "A trait I can certainly admire and understand, being a man of means myself and as careful as I am with my money."
"Careful?" Laurie echoed scornfully. "You're so careful with your money you have a combination lock on your piggy bank!"
"Exactly! So, you see, I can understand Mr Kincaid's desire to protect his finances - which is why I find all this very unsettling."
His sister shook her head and giggled.
"What?" he demanded querulously. "What did I say?"
"Oh, Danny," she said, when she could control her laughter, "sometimes, I think Mr Kincaid's right and you really are a 35 year old midget hiding inside a kid's body!"
Danny would have hit her, but his parents had always impressed upon him how wrong it was to hit a female (punching Gloria Hickey in the arm was completely different and a very intimate act for him), so instead he settled on an evil-eyed glare, which just had the effect of sending her into fresh peals of laughter and did nothing at all for his ego. He spent the rest of the meal in a sulk, plotting the downfall of one Laurie Partridge, but the mini-argument had had the desired effect of taking their minds almost completely off the situation in the suite upstairs.