You need to be careful of people who tell you that adventure exists at the next turn-because it turns out that they are not really walking into a story but running away from a history that chases them throughout time. -Christopher Herz
Shawn had little sleep the night before as his mind refused to rest. He spent the wee morning hours studying the news article Sandra had given him and the papers that the Boogeyman hadn't taken.
There were still a lot of gaps in the Jay Andrews story, and he wasn't sure how to fill them in. But he now had enough pieces to put a theory together.
Jay Andrews
Dark curly hair
Good-looking
14/15 when he lived with Richie
Idolized Richie
Got into major trouble in 76-77
Left Richie after college; never returned
Attended Collegiate School
This was also the description of someone he knew well: Jon.
This theory bothered Shawn more than the gaps and led to a host of new questions.
What happened that Jon changed not only his last name but first name too?
Why did he go back to Turner?
Why didn't he go back to see Richie after college?
Shawn stared out of the window at the climbing tree.
If Jon and Jay were the same person, then Audrey's comment about Jay not being related to her and no longer existing would be true. It also clarified Jacklyn's memory of Jon renouncing his last name.
But why?
Why didn't Jon go back?
Why didn't Richie want anyone to bring Jon up after he left?
Why?
Why?
Why?
The lack of answers was too much so Shawn did the one thing he always did when things became too much.
He called Cory.
Cory's phone rang until it went to voicemail. Immediately he knew something was wrong- his calls never went to voicemail. Cory always picked up before the first ring was finished.
It was after 6:30 am and his best friend should have been getting ready for school. He called again and after several rings it was picked up.
"This is Cory's phone."
Shawn frowned. "Topanga?"
"Hey, Shawn." She sounded exhausted. "I'm sorry but Cory isn't available right now."
"What's up?"
"I honestly don't know," she said with a weary sigh. "I've never seen him like this. It's like someone's sucked all the Cory out of my husband and left me this gray, mumbling shell."
"He sounds depressed." That didn't make sense, though. It hadn't been that long since they had gone out to talk to Shortman and Sonja. Cory was quieter than normal but nothing like Topanga described.
What happened?
Another question.
"I'm taking off today and making him take off too," she told him. "Shawn, if you can, would you come over and talk to him. Maybe he'll snap out of this if you're around."
"Is this about school? The new hires?"
"It's the only thing I know it could be about. This started when they showed up and went after him."
Shawn was quiet for a while going over his plans for the day. His schedule was packed. But this was Cory.
"Do you want me to come over now?"
"No. Cory hasn't been sleeping and when he does, he has nightmares. I want him to sleep if he can. Can you come over later tonight?"
Shawn paused. "Do you think you guys could come over here? Eli's bringin' his new girlfriend over to meet the whole family. After dinner we can go to my room to talk."
"I'll send Cory," she said. "I've got to take Riley to a slumber party, and I promised Auggie that Ava could come over."
"That works." Shawn paused as he worried about his best friend's mental health. "Topanga, are you guys gonna be able to make it to Philly? I mean if you can't I get it…."
"We will, Shawn," she responded firmly. "I'm really glad you wanted to do this because I need to get Cory as far away from those people as possible. And I think a trip home will be the best thing for him."
"Good. Tell Cor I'll see him tonight."
Shawn hung up the phone, put it in his pocket, and stared out at his tree until Julia pounded on his door to tell him it was time to leave.
Ordinarily, the last day before break would be exceptionally busy for Jon, but he, like most, was mentally done with school matters. He was done with regular school matters, that is. He couldn't be done with the matters at Cory and Julia's schools.
After seeing how drastically Cory had changed in such a brief time under these people. Knowing that he wasn't the only one, there was no way he could leave on a two-week break and abandon people who trusted him in a deteriorating situation.
That situation seemed less severe at Julia's school, but he worried that it wouldn't last. At least he didn't have to be concerned about Julia herself as things had gotten much better for her once she started seeing Devon and Audrey took over her English literature class.
Just as he was making a note to talk to his wife about finding a way to thank Devon, she heard a squabble coming from outside of his office. Katherine's was one voice in the racket, but Shawn's was surprisingly not the other one.
Curious, Jon got up and found Devon's husband, Matís, arguing with his secretary. Shawn was sitting nearby enjoying the show.
"What is goin' on?!" Jon had to yell to be heard over them.
They stopped mid-argument to stare at him. Then they tried to push past each other to get to him first.
At the same time, they cried:
"Jon, I need to talk to you now!"
"Jon, he doesn't have an appointment!"
He looked at Shawn who shrugged at him with a grin. Jon was not amused by any of this.
To Kat he said, "Do you know who this is?"
Katherine folded her arms over her waist and frowned. "He says his wife is a guidance counselor at Abigail Adams High and wants to talk to you about why she was fired. I asked him why his wife isn't the one down here and he won't answer."
Jon looked to Matís with his mouth slightly open. "Devon was fired? When?"
"This morning," Matís glared at Katherine for wasting so much of his time. "Armed guards escorted her to and from her office to pick up her things and take her key."
Jon put a hand over his mouth. This news decided one thing: the family would have to go to Philadelphia without him. He could not leave under these circumstances.
"C'mon, Mats," Jon motioned for him to follow him to his office. He didn't miss the triumphant look Shawn gave Kat and he wondered if there would ever be peace in his office.
"Tell me again what happened with Devon," he said once they were seated.
Matís shook his head. "About an hour after she left for work Devon called me absolutely furious. She was met at the staff door by armed guards who told her she was to get her things and leave. You know Devon, she didn't take that very well."
Jon raised his eyebrows. Devon had always been feisty, and he could imagine her reaction to being fired suddenly.
"Did they say under whose authority they were operatin'?"
"Remington's. That creep DeMarco was in her office waiting for her. He'd very kindly packed her things for her."
"Did she get any warnin' before she was terminated?"
"Nothing. Jon, I'm telling you there is something big going on here."
Jon pressed his palms together and tapped his thumbs against his lips. After a while he asked, "Do you know somethin'?"
Matís leaned forward and dropped his voice. "Rumor has it that the teachers and admin who left were intimidated into leaving."
"How?"
The younger man shrugged. "One of the assistants in my department is friends with Maria Olivares. I overheard her telling someone that Maria was sent pictures after months of being pressured to resign. Whatever those pictures are of scared her into leaving. I didn't think too much of it at the time because the office gossip leans towards the outrageous. "
Jon put his hand fully over his mouth again as he thought about the implications of what Matís was saying. Finally, he said, "Blackmail would make sense. I couldn't believe Maria would suddenly leave and then refuse to talk to me or anyone else in the district unless it was somethin' serious like that. You know they moved last week. Across the country."
Matís nodded. "Devon was really upset when she heard about that. Maria helped her get set up here."
"Devon mentioned to Audrey that this might be comin' from inside the mayor's office."
Matias pursed his lips together tightly and leaned forward. "Have you been able to get through to anyone in the Department of Education?"
"I spoke to Davis," Jon recalled his five-minute conversation with the Chancellor of the DOE. "But he referred me to the Mayor. Everyone else I talked to over there told me it wasn't their department and to talk to Davis."
"Any new sudden hires within the DOE?"
Jon was quiet for a moment then said, "Yeah, now that you mention it- the first deputy chancellor. This new guy, Masterson, stepped in suddenly after the first month of school when Bharadwa suddenly left with no explanation. I met him once at a meetin' earlier in the year. Nothin' exceptional about him."
Matís nodded. "But his hiring fits the pattern. I don't have any factual information for you right now, Jon, but I am going to look into this if I can. The only explanation I have is that this is coming out of the mayor's office somewhere. Maybe the main office, maybe the DOE. But I'll do what I can on the inside."
"Thanks, man, I appreciate it." His gratitude came out in a heavy sigh.
Matís gave him a curt nod and stood up. As he reached the door, he turned back and said grimly, "Be careful, Jon and tell Audrey to be careful, too. Devon's firing came on the heels of their meeting."
Jon nodded solemnly. He never should have gotten Audrey involved in this.
The superintendent pulled the blinds and turned off the lights so that he could sit in a room as dark as his thoughts.
The family had to go on to Philadelphia without him. They would be safe there. He did not look forward to telling Audrey. She would be upset; however, she would get over it.
But what about Shawn?
He wasn't sure he could tell Shawn. He'd promised more than once that he'd go back. It wasn't just that Shawn would be angry with him for going back on his promise, but that he would be disappointed.
Jon couldn't bear the thought of disappointing him once again, but he didn't see what choice he had.
Just as melancholy was about to consume him, Katherine informed him that there was an incoming call from the Mayor's office.
Jon nearly jumped out of his seat to answer. Without the lights, he stumbled trying to find the phone in the dark.
"Mr. Turner, this is Desmond Lloyd, chief of staff to the Mayor."
Jon chuckled as he sank back into his seat. "I know who you are, Dez."
The man on the other end gave a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, I've been making calls all day and feel like I'm repeating a script at this point."
"I know the feelin'."
"Listen, Jon, I've been informed that you've been trying to reach the mayor for the past couple of weeks."
"Yes," he said emphatically. "I'm havin' a problem with a couple of my schools."
He could almost hear Desmond frown. "You? Have a problem? It must be huge to be calling the Mayor in."
"Yesterday mornin' I was banned from enterin' one of the junior highs by armed guards. The principal who hired them was not hired by me. This mornin' I was informed by Matís Nunez that his wife was escorted from the buildin' by those armed guards."
Desmond was silent for a long while. "Jon, are you joking?"
"No, I'm not. I need help, Dez."
Desmond let out a breath of disbelief. "Yeah, well, you've got it. Let me check the Mayor's schedule." The man was gone for a moment. When he returned, he was apologetic. "His next opening is 6 weeks out."
"That's too late."
"I know, I know." Jon could hesr Desmond's rapid tapping against a keyboard. "Wait. Here. He's got a meeting with the Chancellor of the DOE. Those meetings are never long. I'm going to schedule you for the same time. It sounds like it wouldn't be a bad idea for Davis to be there anyway."
"Right. How soon?"
"The Monday following Spring Break."
"All right," Jon sighed. "It's better than nothin'."
For several minutes after he hung up, Jon sat in the darkness trying to think, but he was drawing a blank. As in he could not come up with a single thought for more than a moment. He was sitting in literal and figurative darkness.
A ray of light broke through when Shawn opened the door.
"Dad?"
Jon looked up and squinted into the brightness.
"Hey."
"You okay?"
"Finally, got an appointment with the Mayor."
"Great! When?"
"Monday after Spring Break."
Shawn frowned. "Well, at least you're gettin' in."
"Yeah," Jon was about to say more when Katherine interrupted with another call from the Mayor's office.
"Jon, it's Dez, again."
"Lemme guess," Jon said, skipping the greeting pleasantries. "Meetin' cancelled?"
"No," Desmond said. "I have someone who wants to talk to you."
"Oh?"
"Jon," the new voice said. "It's Aisha Locke."
The superintendent was surprised to hear from Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services.
"Hey, Aisha. What's goin' on?"
"Jon, Desmond told me about the issue you're having. Listen, I've noticed some similar issues within our department regarding hirings." Her voice was a quiet whisper as though she was afraid of being overheard. "I'm trying to get an investigation started internally but you know how hard those are to get traction behind."
"Yeah, I do," he said.
"Until we can get more information, I'm instituting a freeze on these people. I've already spoken to Davis, and he's agreed. The soonest I can get anyone over there is after school. I'm going to have NYPD go with me to get these people out of both schools, pending an investigation. If nothing else, it will buy me some time over the break to investigate this. If I can get solid evidence of wrongdoing and proof that it came out of our office, that will give me the traction I need to get something going. Anything you can find out would be beneficial too."
"Oh, man, Aisha." Waves of relief that help was finally here hit him so hard that he felt he was either going to cry or throw up. "I appreciate this so much and I do have some information. Is there any way I could meet with you?"
"You got time tomorrow?"
"I'll make time." As he said this, he saw a look of hurt cross Shawn's face.
"I'll be at your office at 9 am."
Still locked in a stare with his son, Jon said, "I'll be there."
As soon as he hung up, Shawn was leaning over his desk with an expression of disbelief mingled with hurt.
"We're supposed to go to Philly."
"We are," Jon said feeling the weight of guilt pressing down on him. "I just may be delayed getting' there."
"Are you backin' out?"
"No, Shawn," the superintendent was suddenly flustered by the look of intense disappointment in the younger man's eyes. "Look this is important."
"So is goin' back."
"We are goin' back."
Shawn stood up and shook his head in dismay. "You promised," he said plaintively.
Jon sat back heavily in his chair and let his hands fall into his lap. He couldn't look Shawn in the eyes anymore.
"I know."
Friday afternoon was full of slow meetings that no one wanted to attend. Nothing was accomplished. Attendees used these meetings to talk about plans over break. Jon used them to research the people infesting his schools. Shawn used them as an excuse to duck out to the New York Public Library to do some research of his own and to distract himself from the frustration he felt towards Jon for trying to back out of going to Philadelphia.
Once settled into the room he and Topanga had been in earlier, Shawn pulled out a notebook with his writings about Jay Andrews in them. He ran through the expansive library computer system all of the names he'd been given who had been associated with Angelo Sartori. Although Dustin was repeatedly given as the gang leader his name never came up in these articles; Angelo's name did, so he figured that was the best place to start.
And he was right.
Apart from Angelo, every other name was connected to wealthy East Coast families and Collegiate School. It was easy to find out enough information on them from school articles that Shawn could match them to many of the unnamed boys in the articles of teen arrests for drug and gang activity. But none of them had to do with the information he was looking for. Shawn turned his attention to Collegiate School, Jay Andrews, and Jonathan Turner.
Collegiate School had an archive housed within the mainframe of the NYPL but it was only accessible to alumni. Shawn stared at the login screen for a long time wondering how he could get access to the information he needed without asking Jon or Audrey. He honestly wasn't sure if Jon would even have an account with the school.
Collegiate School Alumni Database
Alumni Name- that was simple enough.
Alumni Email Address- Shawn knew both Jon's personal and work email.
Password- _
Jon had never been creative with passwords in the past and he wondered if that had changed. In high school his code had been 1434 for both his bank card and answering machine message check password.
Shawn knew he had to be careful about how many times he entered a password as he didn't want the attempts to be flagged in an email that he might miss deleting before Jon saw it.
He sat back in the chair and tried to put himself in Jon's mindset.
If I was Dad what easy to remember password would I choose?
Almost immediately it came to him- something sports related.
Hockey.
Favorite player.
Ooo, who is that? he tried to recall. Brian Leetch?
He almost entered Leetch into the password field until he remembered the framed jersey in Jon's office.
Password: Lundqvist
A password would at least need a number. Shawn had to Google that.
Password: Lundqvist30
Saying a silent prayer, he hit enter.
Password accepted.
Shawn breathed a sigh of relief.
I have got to talk to Dad about internet security where passwords are concerned. That was too easy!
Jon's name came up instantly in the search field, but the dates of the results were what caught Shawn's eye initially. All articles mentioning Jonathan Turner were from the fall of 1976 to the spring of 1977. There was nothing after that.
Shawn frowned and pulled up several of the articles all of which were sports related:
Collegiate School is a puzzle. There appears to be enough talent for the chance at national honors but recently the Warriors have been plagued by inconsistency. The goaltending is secure with the junior pair of Johan Pers and Ben Horner, while the defense is led by the superb Jonathan Turner on the first line. Turner is one of the school's rising stars. His 1976-77 regular season stats are recorded at 23 games played, 10 goals, 23 assists…
…It's one of the highlights of the Collegiate Varsity Boys Hockey Tournament every year, though it didn't happen on the ice.The annual State High School Hockey Hair Team was announced Saturday night. The No. 3 pick went to Jonathan Turner of Westport, CT…
Shawn couldn't help but chuckle at this. Once upon a time, Jon had been known for his hair.
Another article was accompanied by a grainy photograph of a Colligate player in the number 77 jersey. The caption read:
Collegiate's Jonathan Turner (77) skates the puck into the corner in the first period of the Division II hockey state semifinal game against Forest Hills Northern/Eastern in Plymouth, on Thursday, March 9, 1977.
There were several other mentions of Jon's achievement on the ice, but nothing else. Shawn sent the articles to the library printer and continued searching, this time for Jay Andrews.
Search results for Jay began in the fall of 1977 and continued to the spring of 1979. Nothing before then and nothing after. Shawn skimmed through the articles which were indistinguishable from the ones on Jon. Unti the spring of 1978 mentions of academic honors began to pop up.
After printing off several of those articles and retrieving them, Shawn found a quiet spot to really study them.
When he laid out the articles on Jay and Jon side by side, they looked identical, even the hockey numbers where the same. Although he noted that Jay played less than a semester of hockey after stepping down from the team. No reason was cited.
The only true discrepancy he could find between Jon and Jay was an article about donors to Collegiate School and one about academic honors:
Blake and Jacklyn Turner of Westport, CT, parents of sophomore hockey all-state defenseman, Jonathan Turner, donated $500,000 to the school for the building of the Ivy Preparatory Hall upon which the cornerstone for the building will bear their name….
…Jay Andrews, son of Richard and Elizabeth Andrews, was awarded the President's Award for Educational Achievement. This is awarded to students who have shown remarkable growth and improvement in their studies…
Shawn leaned back from the table and put his knee up against its edge, musing over all the information he had. Jon and Jay were the same person, of that he was convinced but he still had unanswered questions and he wanted confirmation of what he thought he knew.
If he'd learned anything in his life it was not to deal in assumptions but in facts. Assumptions had, in part, caused him to lose seventeen years with his family.
Absently, he opened his laptop and tried to work on his next article on Jon. He pulled up the draft and read over it. It was a continuation of his recounting of the class NYC trip, specifically the trip to John's Pizzeria.
"Gotcha," Angelo nodded, looking relieved. "But," he pointed to Audrey. "How'd you and baby girl get together?"
Baby girl? Jon was almost as confused as Angelo had been and he was uncomfortable with the term of endearment his friend used. "She's my student teacher. How do you know her?"
Audrey answered this. "My dad was real good friends with the Sartori's. His mom and sister used to baby-sit me."
Shawn's could read any further. He read that passage over and over until he could quote it.
The Sartori's babysat Audrey and Jon ran with Angelo. If anyone knew about the Jon/Jay connection it would be them. While he'd been warned to stay away from Angelo, no one ever said anything about staying away from the family.
As Shawn was googling the names of Angelo's sister and mother, the burner phone went off. He was no longer surprised by the contents. He'd been expecting this. Spring Break was at the doorstep and there had been no text messages for a while.
Two weeks to relax. Then showtime, Jonny. Everyone will remember Dustin Crowley's name. And yours.
The school day ended at 1:15 for high school so Julia was in earlier than usual. She was also quieter than usual.
"Did everythin' go okay today?" Jon asked as she pulled her chair up next to him and grabbed onto his arm.
She nodded, curls flying everywhere as her head bobbed up and down.
Given what he knew about what was going on at the high school, her lackluster response worried him. "Jules?"
"It was fine," she sighed, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. "We didn't do much. Dre said that homeroom was super borin'. The class got lectured on bein' good citizens over the break."
Julia had only attended half of the half-day. At Jon's request, Audrey kept Julia home until second period. He didn't like pulling her, but it was a low attendance day anyway and wouldn't affect academics. Actually, he wanted her home all day, but she insisted on attending the afternoon Christmas party.
"You text me a lot today, Daddy," she said. She looked up at him with troubled gray eyes. Then she stood up and put her arms around him. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Princess." Jon had to laugh himself for texting her several times an hour while she was at school, when just a short time ago he got onto her for doing the same thing to him. "I'm fine."
"You know what was weird?"
"What?"
"There were new guards today. And Mrs. Nunez wasn't at school, so Mr. Harking led the carol sing along," she said making a face. Mr. Harking could not sing but he didn't know it.
"New guards?" Jon stared at her, worried she had encountered them. "You saw 'em?"
"Yeah." She stood behind him with her arms around his shoulders. Leaning her head against his, she said, "They weren't friendly like the old ones."
"They say anythin' to you?"
"No. They didn't say anythin' to anyone."
Jon put his hand over his mouth for a while. He gave Shawn an apprehensive look before he picked up the office phone.
Julia went over to Shawn and tugged on his sleeve. Standing on her toes, she whispered in his ear. "The grandparents came to lunch today. They said they'd be waitin' for us when we got home."
"Great," Shawn muttered, "Just what we don't need."
Jon dropped the phone into its cradle with a thud. "No changes at all at Grayson and Jamie's school." He said with relief.
Shawn tapped his finger on the desk and ran that same finger down its wood grain. With Jon's parents waiting for them, Eli and Cory coming over, and meeting with the Satori's, there was so much left to be done and they were running out of time.
He knew he had to meet with Angelo's family before they left for Philadelphia. Concerned that, without knowing their schedule, he might have trouble finding them at home, he knew he had to try to see them as soon as possible.
"What's left to do here?" he asked.
Jon shrugged. "I don't even know. Why?"
"If you have to come in for that meetin' tomorrow, why don't we just go home now?"
Jon thought about it for a moment then surprised them by agreeing. "Anythin', I need to do I can do at home, I guess." Under his breath, he mumbled, "not that I can do anythin' any way."
After they were in the car, Shawn warned him about what who waiting for him at home. As expected, the news dropped Jon into a dark mood.
The short trip home seemed incredibly long.
Audrey was waiting for them when they came home. Julia had texted her to let her know they were on their way. She greeted Jon with flirty affirmations while motioning to the two with him to distract the people in the living room.
"What's with you?" he asked as she slipped her hands into his back pockets.
"I missed you."
He shot an unhappy glance in the direction of the living room, then smiled at her and kissed her. "I missed you, too."
She took her hands out of his pockets and began her ritual removing of his tie and untucking of his shirt. He watched her as though he hadn't seen her do this hundreds of times over the years. It was something she'd started doing long ago when she was still his student teacher. It was a simple thing, but her consistency in doing it touched him greatly.
"Why don't you go up and change into jeans?"
He nodded, took the hands that rested on his chest, and kissed their fingertips.
Audrey followed him to the bedroom chattering about her day and asking about his in such a way that he knew she was trying to distract him. She continued talking, having shifted the conversation to the trip to Philadelphia. He felt a twinge of guilt and couldn't bring himself to tell her they were going to have to delay it.
As he walked out of the closet, he saw Bella's beloved stuffed puppy peeking out from under one of the pillows on the bed. It was strange to see the dog without his daughter attached to it.
"Where's Bella?"
Audrey bit her lip, then turned to him, and wrapped her arms around him. She slipped her hands in his back pockets again. She laid kisses along his jawline and, for a moment, she succeeded in distracting him.
Then he remembered what Shawn told him before they left the District Office.
"Audrey, where's Bella?"
"Downstairs."
"Downstairs?" He pulled back from her, annoyance flashing in his eyes. "With them?""
"Yes," she said quietly.
Pushing past her, he stormed down to his study with his wife jogging to keep up.
The moment he sat down, she settled in his lap and began to rub his neck trying to prevent a headache from starting. Eventually, Jon let her turn his thoughts from his parents back to Philadelphia.
He knew he couldn't put off telling her any longer.
"I have a meetin' with Aisha from Health and Human Services."
"When?"
"Tomorrow mornin'."
"Jon!"
"Audrey, it's important I take this meetin'," he said defensively. "I need help and Aisha can get it for me."
"So no Philly then?" She didn't bother to hide her frustration.
"I didn't say that."
"Then when are we going?"
He saw the storm of disappointment and concern in her eyes, and he had to look away. "Monday. Although you and the kids could go on ahead, especially since Alan and Amy are expectin' us tomorrow."
"No," she said forcefully. "Absolutely not. We'll go when you go."
She sat on his lap, her arms over her stomach, with an expression of defiance that made her look like an upset teenager.
Looks like Shawn when he was a kid, he thought amusedly. He brushed her hair off her shoulder and pulled her closer.
They sat in the darkened room with their arms around each until Audrey whispered that she needed to prepare for the night's company. He stood with her and followed her back downstairs.
Jon's mood was considerably lighter until he walked into the living room, and he heard what his father was saying to Shawn.
"I'll teach you the business, son. The best training is hands on, in the field work. I do advise you take as many business classes as you can. I'll pay for your schooling."
Shawn sat on the edge of the couch leaning away from Jon's father. He was flattered but also very uncomfortable with the man's enthusiasm. He regretted saying he was interested in what TTT did. "I appreciate the offer, but I…"
"Oh, come on, Shawn," Blake cut him off. "Take an apprenticeship with me for one year. If, at the end of the year, you don't want to stay, don't stay." He slapped Shawn jovially on the knee. "TTT needs you for it to be what it was always meant to be, son."
Audrey was standing beside Jon, holding his hand. She could feel him shaking with rage. Worriedly she wrapped her other hand around his bicep, trying to calm him.
"He isn't your son." Jon's words were dipped in bitterness towards his father.
"Excuse me?" Blake gave his son a dismissive look as though he was an intern interrupting an important business meeting.
"You heard me. He. Is. Not. Your. Son." Jon pulled away from Audrey and took a step closer to the older man. "He's mine. You will not recruit my kid for your business in my home."
Blake stood up to face him. Although his height might have diminished some with age, he was still as tall as the superintendent. "He's my grandson, Jonathan. I have the right to talk to him about the family business. Or anything I want to talk to him about without your permission."
"Since when has he been your grandson? A whole two days if that? And what are you talkin' to him about?" Jon spat coldly. "How great it is to work for you? Play the stocks? Undercut the competition using whatever tactics to get the job done? Have you even listened to one thing he's told you about what he wants to do with his life? A life that doesn't include aerospace components."
Blake put his hands in his pockets and regarded his son in the cold, unfeeling manner he would view an underling caught stealing information for a rival.
"And how would he know what he wants? He's never had an opportunity in the field. I can give him opportunities you can't. I can change his life."
Understanding that this wasn't actually about him, Shawn jumped up from the couch and away from the older man. He stood on the other side of Jon as he watched the showdown.
"Why do you want my kid?" Jon demanded.
"He's smart," was the cool reply. "He's got a different outlook on things. He can see things in a way that others in the corporate world are incapable of seeing." Blake lifted his chin. His words were calculated and cold. "Or don't you know you that about your son."
Jon was shaking so hard that Shawn could see him tremble. He shot a worried look at Audrey who looked frightened. Shawn had never seen that look before. It was different from the fear she had when the house was robbed. She was almost cowering at the confrontation, and it shot hot anxiety through him.
"Says the man who knows nothing about his own son."
"You're such a good father," Blake said softly. There was a derisive edge in his voice. "It only took two decades for him to home."
Outraged by this unfair statement, Shawn opened his mouth to defend Jon, to tell Blake the separation was his fault, but Audrey reached behind Jon and grabbed his arm. Her nails pressed through the fabric of his sweater with desperation, warning him not to intervene. Shawn held his tongue and his breath.
"Yeah. But my son came home. Yours never will." His tone was a replica of his father's- cold and bitter. But both Shawn and Audrey heard the pain underlying the words.
There was stand-off between the men as the chasm between them widened further.
Finally, Jon said, "You want him to work for you, then tell him why you want him."
Blake stared at him for a moment then shrugged. "I want his perspective."
"Tell him what that means."
"It means exactly what I said."
Jon clenched his teeth and balled his hand into fists. "Tell the truth, Blake!" His voice rose as he started to lose control of his temper. "Why do want him?"
"Because I can tell he's good at reading people and their intent," Blake replied nonchalantly. "Almost as good as you were. He can be trained to be better."
Jon shoved his hands in his pockets and pursed his lips together. Then in a low dangerous tone he hissed, "Get out."
Anger flared in his father's dark eyes. "Shawn's an adult, Jonathan. You can't stop him from talking to me or working for me."
"No," Jon admitted quietly. "But I can make sure he doesn't fall your lies."
"Jonathan, you're being unreasonable," Blake snapped. "This is the family business. Shawn would be an excellent fit."
"For you." Jon advanced on his father. Audrey and Shawn followed in sync with him.
"You don't care about him," he went on taking another step. "You care about your legacy. Your precious business has always been more important than people. You aren't gonna use my kid and turn him into one of your unfeelin', empty drones!"
Blake was unmoved. "Just because you wasted your life, Jonathan," his father responded haughtily. "Doesn't mean Shawn should. He doesn't have to follow in your footsteps."
"Get. Out!"
Blake looked to Shawn. "This is a serious offer. I encourage you to make up your own mind, Shawn."
Shawn stepped forward so that he was right next to Jon. For all the wealth Blake Turner had, he was no better than Chet Hunter.
"I have made up my mind," he said firmly, putting a hand on Jon's shoulder. "A long time ago. Thanks, Blake. But no thanks."
The older man glared at him, then at his son. Snapping his fingers he said curtly, "Let's go, Jacklyn."
Jon's mother, who had been in the hallway with Bella, entered the living room. Sensing the mood in the room was volatile and angry, the toddler began to cry. Jacklyn handed Bella over to Audrey. As she passed her son, she stopped to look at him. Her expression was unreadable but as she quickly stepped up to kiss Jon on the cheek, anguish flared across her face as he turned away from her.
"Let's go," Blake snapped again, holding her coat out to her.
As soon as they left, Jon began to pace in anger mumbling to himself all the while. "I never shoulda let them stay a second. They don't care. They don't care about nothin' but themselves!" The more he paced the more agitated he became.
Audrey stepped in front of him and made him stop walking. The physical pain on his face and emotional pain in his voice scared her and broke her heart at the same time.
Bella continued to cry.
"I'm such an idiot! I actually thought they finally started to care about my family." His voice broke. "About me."
Audrey put Bella down on the couch despite the little girl's mournful protests. She wrapped her arms around her husband and held onto him. Shawn jumped into the hug, grabbing onto them. As they tried to console him, Jon suddenly gripped both of them tightly, leaning his weight on them as though he needed help standing.
"Jon?" Audrey cried. "What's wrong?"
"Aspirin," he grounded out in pain. "Shawn, get me some aspirin. "
Shawn hurried to obey. As he rushed to the bathroom medicine cabinet, he looked over his shoulder and watched Jon clutch his head and collapse on the couch taking Audrey down with him.
After taking the over-the-counter pain medication, Jon went to bed per Audrey's adamant demand. Shawn found her in the kitchen cooking up a storm. From the hodge-podge of dishes, she had going at once she was clearly not cooking to feed her family, but to heal her soul.
"Mom?"
Audrey stopped her frenzied stirring and looked up at him with a fearful look in her eyes.
"Can I do anything?"
She started to shake her head, then said, "We have to get him away from here, Shawn. Away from this job, away from these people. He gets one meeting tomorrow. That's it. Don't you dare let him schedule anything else. If he won't listen to you. Call me."
"Yeah," he agreed, relieved to hear that she was going to insist that Jon return with them to Philadelphia. "Absolutely. How bad is this?"
"I don't know," she said. From the ingredients she was pouring into the mixer it looked as though she was making a day's worth of cookies for a bakery. "And that's what scares me the most."
Her back was to him. Shawn watched her put her hand on top of the mixer and pause what she was doing. Her shoulders sagged as she hung her head.
"I can't lose him. Shawn," she murmured. "I can't go on without him."
"I know."
"No, you don't." She turned her head towards him, and he saw her tears fall into the bowl salting the batter. "You don't understand how serious I am when I say I can't go on."
The look in her eyes told him that she was dead serious. Immediately, Richie came to mind and dread filled him as he began to understand what she meant.
Suddenly afraid, Shawn whispered worriedly. "Mom?"
Audrey turned fully around. The sorrow on her face was more than he could bear. From the time they'd met, she had taken care of him and loved him despite her own circumstances and loss. Now more than ever, he wished he could do the same for her. Shawn reached for her, and she fell into his embrace.
There were times when he was a teenager, when he and Jon struggled to find balance in their relationship, that he felt she was the only who understood him. In this moment, he was, perhaps, the only one who understood her and her desire to stop living should something happen to Jon.
"I do understand," he said, fighting back tears. He could not allow himself to consider what he would do if something did happen to one of them; he would drown in despair if he did. "I can't lose either of you. I only just got you back."
Audrey tightened her hold on him. They stood in the kitchen for a long time before she drew in a shaky breath and exhaled. She pulled back and looked up at him wondering when he grew taller than her. Cradling his face between her palms, she stood on her toes so she could rest her forehead against his.
"I love you, Shawn."
"I love you, too, Mama."
She smiled a teary smile. The dark depressed look in her eyes lifted and took some of Shawn's anxiety with it.
"I'll be okay, Shawn," she assured him with a gentle pat on the cheek. "Really. If there's anything you need to do, go on. Eli won't be here until 6."
He did need to go out, but he hesitated. "You sure?"
She nodded and smiled. "I'm sure. Go on."
Shawn stood by the counter watching her. She did seem better than before, but he was uncertain if she really was. However, it was important that he make it to the Sartori's.
With the heavy weight of worry on his shoulders, he hurried out to the nearby subway station. It was 3:30. He had to find the Sartoris and be back before 5:30 when Cory was coming over.
Cory.
Jon.
Audrey.
The three most important people in his life were hanging on by a thread. Like vultures waiting for death to take over him were Depression, Dread, and Desolation riding his back, just waiting for him to turn his thoughts to what would happen to him if the worst happen to them. These vultures had been close companions before. Shawn knew them well. He'd given into them before.
Not now.
They weren't going to win this time.
531 East 11th Street and Third was in an old apartment building that dated back to the 50s. It was one of the last remnants of the period that hadn't been eaten up by the wolves of greed and development.
Shawn jogged up the stairs to the 13th floor, mistakenly thinking that it wouldn't be a difficult feat. By the time he reached the right floor, he was winded and sweaty.
I am in terrible shape, he though miserably. For some reason, he thought he should have been able to take those stairs the way he did when he was fifteen.
He found apartment 8D and knocked on the door, praying someone was home.
After a series of knocks, the door, with the chain lock still on, cracked open.
"Yeah, what?" a female voice snapped.
All Shawn could see of the person behind the door was dark eyes and dark hair.
"Is Sophia home?"
The dark eyes narrowed to dark angry slits.
"Who're you?"
"I'm lookin' for either Sophia or Angelina Sartori."
"Angelo ain't here, okay," said the voice. "You tell ya boys to leave us alone."
Shawn stared at her for a moment then quickly said. "My name is Shawn Hunter. I'm Jon and Audrey Turner's son."
The dark eyes opened wide in surprise. The woman mumbled something under her breath in a language he didn't understand. The door closed and Shawn could hear the chain being taken off the lock. The door reopened and a hand waved him in. The door slammed shut and was locked the second he was inside.
"I'm Angelina," the woman said motioning for him to take a seat. Her Long Island accent reminded him of Jon when they first met. She was petite with the soft curves of motherhood and age. Her dark curls were tied up into a disheveled bun from which many tendrils of hair had escaped. She looked to be about halfway between Jon and Audrey's ages. "So ya one of Jonny and Aud's kids?"
"Yeah," he said.
Angelina sank into the chair across from him and looked exhausted.
"Somethin' must be really wrong if ya comin' to see me."
Shawn nodded. "I need to know about my dad when he was a kid."
Those dark eyes looked as though ghosts had suddenly appeared in front of her and started dancing. A trembling hand went to her mouth then drifted to the necklace at her throat.
"Ya dad's a good man, Shawn," she said quietly. "Why do ya need to know about a past that don't matter no more."
Shawn leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. "Because I think that past is about to come back in a big way."
Angelina stood abruptly and began to pace with her thumb pressed to her lips mumbling nervously in another language. Abruptly she stopped and stared at him. "Have ya asked Jonny to tell ya?"
He nodded. "He's supposed to tell me over Spring Break, but I don't think I can wait that long. I need to know now."
A fearful look washed over her, and she went back to pacing and mumbling.
When she turned towards him, he saw the cross pendant of her necklace clutched in her hand and realized that her mumblings were actually prayers in Italian.
That can't be good, he thought worriedly.
Eventually, Angelina resumed speaking in English. "Shawn, I was a kid myself then. I dunno the details. My mom used to babysit Audrey aftah her grandmothah passed away and Lizzy came back here to stay. Jonny was gone by then."
"Can I talk to your mother? To Sophia?"
Angelina nodded. "You could talk to her. But you'd have to go to her and it's a one-way trip," she said looking up at the ceiling.
Shawn followed her gaze then realized what she meant. "I'm sorry, Angelina. I didn't know."
"It's okay, Shawn," she gave him a little smile. "Mama's been gone a while now. Call me Angie."
"Angie, do you know anythin' at all?"
Angie twisted her necklace nervously. "I know my brothah's part in it."
"Angelo- he was good friends with my dad."
"He wasn't a good friend to no one, not then. Not now. But yeah, Jonny took to 'im. I dunno why but ya dad looked up to my brothah."
"The stuff Dad and Angelo were involved with it had to do with drugs, didn't it?"
Nervously, Angie tucked a piece of stray hair into her bun. It immediately came loose again. "It did with Angelo. It was always drugs with him. Angelo got involved with this guy named Dustin Crowley. He was some rich kid from up north who came down here to play in the dirt. Dustin got a band of kids togethah just like him and pulled in a few like my brothah. Then he got 'em dealin' drugs. Started small and grew. So did Dustin's ego."
Angie stopped in front of a dusty window and stared out at the City.
"He called his group the Wolves," she said shaking her head. "You know like in Wall Street. Dustin wanted to take on a real gang and show 'em that they were nothin' and he was everythin'. He started crossin' into their territory by sellin' to their users. It got so bad."
Although he suspected drugs, based on his research Shawn was thinking on a much smaller scale than what Angie was saying. He was deeply troubled. "How involved was my dad?"
Angie shrugged. "I honestly don't know, Shawn. I know he wasn't all in like my brothah. If you can believe anythin' Angelo says, then Jonny was forced to do a lot of what he did. He came ovah here several times to hide from Dustin when Richie wasn't around. Dustin would find him at Venus and wherevah he took off to, but Dustin nevah thought to look for him here."
Shawn tried to put his personal feelings to the side and focus on asking questions. "Do you know anythin' about what he was forced to do?"
"I was ten, Shawn." Her voice was fraying with anxiety. This was clearly a time in her family's life that she did not want to revisit. "My folks wouldn't talk about anythin' that happened then. I don't know all that Angelo got involved with, but he's been addicted and dealin' for so long. Been in and out of jail. He's hurt people, Shawn. Bad. Angelo's told me things about that time over the years, but I don't even know what's really true. Jonny nevah spoke about it to me. Mama and Daddy would know, but they're both gone now."
"How bad did it get?" he asked quietly.
Angie's olive complexion turned sheet white. She started to shake her head and didn't stop. "I dunno. I dunno."
"I'm sorry," Shawn said quickly when he saw how upset she was getting. "I'm just desperate for information."
He was quiet for a while trying to figure out how to talk to her. He was growing increasingly concerned about what Jon had been involved with as a teen. Drugs, gangs- none this lined up with who he knew Jon to be, who he'd always known him to be. Something was missing from this story and it was Jon. Or Jay.
"What about Jay Andrews?"
Angie frowned and looked at him as though he was joking. "Don't you know?"
"Don't I know what?"
"Audrey didn't tell you?"
Shawn shrugged. "She said he's not related to her, and he doesn't exist anymore."
She looked relieved. "She's right. He isn't related to her, and he doesn't exist anymore. He's been gone a real long time."
Shawn came very close to asking her if Jon and Jay were the same person, then he remembered the photo of Richie and Jon together and an idea suddenly came to him. Two actually.
"Okay," he said feeling guilty about the distress he was causing her. "Can I ask you one more question?"
She nodded.
Despite having been warned to stay away from Angelo, he forged ahead with, "Where can I find your brother?"
Shawn didn't need to understand Italian to know the words that came out of her mouth were a curse.
"Why would you ask somethin' like that?" she shouted at him. "Don't you get it, my brothah is a bad guy!"
He took a deep breath and steadied himself. He had to impress upon her how important it was that he got answers. "Angie, this is serious. And from what little you've told me, it's worse than I thought. If you know somethin' else, then tell me. Or I don't have a choice but to go to Angelo. Someone's been textin' my dad and threatenin' to go public with whatever happened back then, and I need to know what I'm dealin with."
Angie flopped down into the recliner, limp as a ragdoll. With tears in her eyes, she informed him, "If you've been lookin' into the past, then Angelo already knows about ya. And if he knows about ya, it's only a mattah of time before he finds ya."
Shawn shuddered internally. Mack and Shortman weren't exaggerating the seriousness of the situation with Angelo. Topanga's voice echoed in his head about going to the police if things turned dangerous. Unfortunately, he had nothing to take to the police.
Shawn made it back home before five and headed to the kitchen where he knew Audrey would be.
"How's Dad?" he asked, giving her a kiss on the cheek.
"Better," she said with a sigh. She didn't look like she was doing better. "Would you feel like helping until Cory gets here. I need to get far enough ahead of things that I can freshen up. I'm a mess."
"You're beautiful, Mama," he grinned.
"I'm exhausted, I have five kids, and I'm pregnant. I am a mess."
"Nope," he grinned. "Beautiful."
"Flatter." Audrey rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "You're just like your dad."
Shawn grinned. Whether she realized it or not, and she probably did, that was the highest compliment she could pay him.
"What'd you want me to do?"
"Would you make the salad? It needs to be a large one."
Shawn rummaged in the cabinets and found a large, etched crystal bowl and pulled it out.
"Something like this?"
Audrey glanced in his direction. Her eyes went wide and she shook her head. "Oh, no! Jacklyn gave us that for our tenth anniversary. Hide that, Shawn. Jon's not gonna want to see anything to do with his parents right now!"
Quickly, he shelved the bowl and pulled some other dishes in front of it. With Audrey's direction he found the regular salad bowl and servers.
His conversation with Angelina was weighing heavily on his mind as he gathered the ingredients he needed. As much as Shawn wanted to directly ask her what she knew about Angelo and Dustin Crowley, he was worried he would upset her right before company was to come over.
"Mom? Are you in touch with anyone you grew up with?" He was careful not to mention Jon as he didn't want to alert her to why he was asking.
"A few," she said as she took a sheet of pastry dough from the freezer. "Most of them I don't see often- things are just too busy. But there are a few family friends that I talk to on the phone every couple of months. Why?"
"Just wonderin'. We're gettin' ready to go back to Philly and I've just been' doin' a lot of thinkin."
"You certainly have," she said giving him a knowing look.
Shawn smirked at this, but he was also worried that she knew what he was up to. "I've also been thinkin' about Pops a lot."
"Oh?"
Audrey had once told him that Richie kept meticulous records on everything, and he was curious if there might be anything related to Jon/Jay in them. He was also curious about his grandfather in general so what he said was not a lie.
"I've kinda been wantin' to get to know him better. Did you keep any of his records and stuff from Venus or the Back Fence? Cory and I tried to go the bar the other night and found out it's been shut down. Venus, too."
A cloud of sadness settled over her eyes. "Yeah. I've got all of Daddy's paperwork."
"You mind if I look through it?"
She smiled and shrugged as she lightly scored the surface of the pastry of her cheeseburger Wellington. "They're in the attic if you wanna go up there."
"Yeah, I'd love to."
"You aren't claustrophobic, are you?"
"I don't think so?" It was an odd question and suddenly he wasn't so sure.
"The attic has a very low ceiling," she explained. "We usually send a child up there we just have to get something. Daddy's things are in two chests right at the entrance. The green one has his paperwork in it from Venus and the Back Fence. The other has some of his personal things."
Shawn was both thrilled and relieved that gaining access to those documents was so simple. He finished the salad and helped with a few side dishes before she shooed him out of her kitchen. Audrey liked help but she liked doing things her way more.
With fifteen minutes before Cory was due over, Shawn went straight to the attic. Audrey wasn't kidding when she said the ceiling was low. The only way he could "walk" through it was to squat down and waddle. He felt ridiculous and was glad Julia wasn't there to see him.
The attic was tidy and organized and full of boxes, most labeled in Audrey's neat penmanship. One box caught his eye as it was etched in Jon's more chaotic writing: apartment stuff.
Shawn wondered if it was stuff from the apartment in Philly or another place in the superintendent's life. He had to remember to ask Jon about it sometime.
Focusing on the reason he was hunched over as he was, Shawn sat down in front of the green leather trunk that was cracked with age and opened it. Inside, neatly arranged by Audrey no doubt, was file after file. Everything was clearly labeled in handwriting that was neither Jon nor Audrey's.
This must be Pop's writin', he thought.
A sad smile kissed his lips. He wished he'd had more time with the man. As he stared at the writing, a memory tried to poke its way through the haze that still engulfed a large portion of his mind when he thought about the past. He could see Richie's hospital room and feel two people next to him: Jon and Audrey. But the moment he tried to recall the details; the memory vanished. Shawn sighed and resumed looking through the files.
The green chest was full of Venus's records and notes about clients. Interesting but not what he was looking for. He turned his attention to the other chest- the brown one.
When he opened the green chest, it took a significant amount of effort to lift the lid. Years of storage had created a seal around the box that had to be broken. This wasn't true of the brown trunk. Its lid was easy to open, as though it had not remained closed all these years.
The contents of the brown box were not as neatly stored as the files. Someone had been through the contents recently. Several shoeboxes filled the interior. Shawn lifted the lid on the box closest to him.
It was full of letters.
Carefully, Shawn sifted through them. The letters were addressed to either Richie or Jon. There were three different handwritings on the envelopes: Richie, Audrey, and Jon.
Audrey?
Shawn then recalled that there was a time when Richie no longer had the strength to write, and he dictated his letters for Jon to Audrey.
This was what he was looking for: the letters Jon and Richie wrote to each other.
Dad kept them all these years just like I kept the ones he sent me. Except I never wrote back.
Shaking off the melancholy that tried to settle on him, Shawn lifted one of the boxes out of its home. As he did, guilt struck him hard in the chest. He felt like he was intruding on a very personal matter and should just leave the letters where they were.
He tried to swat the feeling away. Audrey did not tell him there was anything he should not look through. She mentioned both trunks. There was no way she would have forgotten what was in the brown one.
Pushing through the guilt, he stacked several boxes on top of each other and waddled to the door. He climbed down the stairs and set the boxes on the floor before going back up to retrieve more. By the time he was done, there were twelve boxes in total.
Shawn went back up again to make sure he left the trunks as he'd found them. After closing the brown chest, his legs began to complain about his squatting form and without thinking he stood up. Immediately he slammed his head on the ceiling and his back against a short bookcase directly behind him.
Mumbling under his breath and rubbing his sore head, he crouched down again. At his feet lay a paper that had come loose from the shelf he hit. He picked it up and gingerly waddled around to face the bookcase.
Before he put it back, he glanced at it and did a double take.
Pennbrook University
Tuition Fees Invoice
Invoice Details
Invoice to: Jonathan Turner
Invoice No: F0912864 Dated: 09/15/98 Fee Year: 98/99 Invoice Total: $12,000
Student Details
Student Name: Hunter, Shawn
The rest of the document blurred together.
What is this?
He didn't understand why Jon would have an invoice for Pennbrook in his name. Jack's stepdad paid for his college tuition. At least, that's what Jack told him when he found a letter from his brother's stepfather in Chet's possessions after he'd died. His brother told him that Chet came to his stepfather and asked for help to pay for his education.
How did Jon get involved?
Shawn hung his head as this latest information swam in his mind with all the other confusing memories, text messages, and tumultuous emotions.
What else did Dad do for me that I don't know about?
Cory was greeted at the door by Maya, who upon seeing Riley was not with him, said hello and goodbye in the same breath and wandered off leaving him standing on the porch as she assumed he would follow her. Instead, he stood there until Shawn came down and asked him what he was doing.
"No one invited me in."
"Who opened the door?"
"Maya." At Shawn's confused looked he explained. "No Riley."
"Ah." Shawn gave him a curious look. "But why didn't you just come in. You used to have a key. You don't need an invitation."
Cory nodded numbly and remained where he was.
Shawn was baffled by this. "Cor, come in."
The social studies teacher finally stepped inside but didn't seem to know where to go from there. Shawn took him by the arm and led him to the living room. Based on what Topanga told him that morning he wasn't sure his best friend could make it up the stairs to his room.
"Cor, you okay?"
Cory dropped onto the couch and shrugged dejectedly. "I don't ever wanna go back."
"Go back where? School?"
He nodded. "I can't, Shawn. I just can't face my students or their parents anymore. I'm a failure."
Shawn's mouth fell open. Giving his best friend's shoulder a shake, he said, firmly, "You aren't a failure, Cory. You know Dad wouldn't put you in a position to fail. It's these people. They won't be there forever."
Numbly Cory shook his head in disagreement. "They're vampires, Shawnie. They will be forever."
Shawn stared at him. "You're kiddin."
"I don't even know what I'm saying." Cory slumped down in his seat and closed his eyes.
Topanga wasn't kidding when she said all the Cory had been sucked out of him. "We're goin' to Philly, Cor. We're all gonna get together and figure this thing out. I need to get things right with Dad and then we'll put together a plan to stop this stuff at school."
Cory turned his head to look at Shawn. A dim glimmer of hope flickered in his eyes. "You're gonna tell Jon what's been going on?"
Hesitantly, Shawn nodded. "I know a lot more now. Hopefully, by the time we leave I'll know the rest."
"When are we leaving?"
Shawn didn't miss that Cory didn't ask what he'd learned.
"Sunday at the earliest. I have a feelin' Dad is gonna try to put if off until Monday."
"Monday's a long way off," Cory responded despondently.
"There's no reason you and Topanga have to wait for us. You guys should go on ahead. Your parents will probably appreciate us not all arrivin' at once."
Cory nodded but he didn't smile.
Shawn was growing more and more concerned. "Can I do anythin' for you, Cor?"
He shook his head and stared straight ahead.
"You don't have to stay if you don't wanna."
"What's for dinner?"
"Mom's cookin."
"I'm stayin."
Shawn smiled. "It's still awhile before Eli gets here. You wanna watch TV or somethin?"
Cory nodded. "In our room?"
"My room," he corrected him with a grin, hoping to cheer his friend up some. "Yeah."
Cory quietly followed him upstairs and Shawn noticed there was no bounce in his step as was typical for him. Instead, the teacher went into Shawn's bedroom, laid down on his part of the bunk bed, and fell asleep.
Shawn sat in his desk chair, listened to him snore, and worried.
It was Friday night and Eli had been warned it would be a full house. When pressed by what exactly that meant, Audrey told him immediate family. He asked about Cory's family assuming it was also their turn to come over. Audrey said it was just Cory and Eli sounded oddly disappointed. Audrey relayed this to Jon who said Eli was incredibly nervous about bringing his new girlfriend over.
Shortly before the couple was due to arrive, Maya suggested taking bets on which ex-girlfriend of Jon's was showing up. She was delighted that, rather than nix this suggestion, the superintendent was first to put his bet down.
"Janine."
Audrey made a face at this.
Maya sat on the kitchen counter taking notes on what everyone was betting along with their signatures. She looked expectantly at her aunt.
"Valerie."
Shawn grimaced. He struggled to remember the names of Jon's former girlfriends as they were so short-lived. Maya impatiently tapped her pencil against her notebook.
"Gwen."
Jon looked offended. "I only went out with her once."
"She thought she was an ex-girlfriend," he reminded him with a smirk.
Jon rolled his eyes and stopped him from recounting the awful events of New Year's Eve 1995.
"Janine." Maya had no idea who any of these people were, so she went with what her uncle said.
"Melanie." Julia put down her bet. Everyone looked at her. "I know she's married, but when's that ever stopped anyone," she said with a shrug."
"Miss Tompkins." Cory, who had been uninvolved until that moment, said this as though pronouncing a death sentence on them all.
"Cor?" Shawn raised his eyebrows. This was a horrifying response to the fun they were having.
"What?"
"Okay," Jon interrupted suddenly uncomfortable with the entire conversation. "Let's do somethin' else."
Everyone helped Audrey set the table. Dinner was set up buffet style in food warmers keeping everything toasty while the family congregated in the living room to wait on their guests.
The doorbell rang promptly at 6 and Grayson was sent to the door.
"Uncle Eli's here!" he yelled before going back to his tablet.
"Hey, Eli!" Jon jumped up from his seat by Audrey as his best friend entered the room.
Eli gave him a nervous wave which put Jon off from greeting him with a hug.
He kept moving slightly back and forth with one hand behind his back as though he was blocking something from their sight.
"Come on in, Eli," Audrey said lightly wondering what was wrong. He was acting like a stranger not the guy who used to wander in at all hours of the night and crash on the couch.
Eli gave her a tight smile then inhaled deeply and took a step into the room.
"Hey, everyone," he said, still hiding whoever was with him. "Um, thanks for having us over."
"Oh, E," a familiar voice behind him said. "You're so cute. And so ridiculous."
"C'mon, man," Jon encouraged him although he was baffled by his friend's behavior. "Introduce us already."
Eli gave him a sheepish look and said, "I really don't have to."
When Katherine stepped out from behind him, five jaws dropped. All eyes were on her expect for the youngest kids who didn't know who she was nor did they care. She hugged Eli's arm tightly and, looking Audrey directly in the eyes, smiled a self-satisfied grin.
Jon had no words. Of all the women he dated, he never dreamed Cory would be right. It didn't make any sense. Eli and Kat had nothing in common. He was about to say something when a pain in his hand shot up his arm. He winced and looked at his wife. Audrey was gripping his hand with such intensity that her nails were sinking deep into his flesh. Her grip was tighter than when she was in labor!
He tried to pull away, but she didn't notice and only intensified her grip. Her face was calm and serene. Underneath the sweetly angelic expression he knew a storm was churning.
"Aud," he had to hiss at her to let go of his hand.
"Oh, sorry," she mumbled before stepping up to play hostess.
Audrey was too sweet and nice for Shawn's liking, but then she didn't know what he, Julia, Maya, and Cory knew. The four crowded together in the corner of the room, trying to stay out of the line of sight.
"This is…" With Julia and Maya next to him he had to censure his words. "A rare pair nightmare."
The girls looked shocked. Maya grabbed Julia by the shoulder seam and pulled her down so she could whisper in her ear. "Does Shawn read or write…you know?"
"I don't wanna know," Julia said not wanting to think too much about how her brother's internet habits. "He definitely doesn't write it. I don't think."
Turning to the men with them, Julia hissed in anger, "What is she doin'? Why is she goin' after Uncle Eli?"
"This is a bunny boiler in the making," Cory said matter-a-factly. They all looked at him with concern. He stared back. "If something doesn't stop her, you know that's gonna happen."
"Bunny boiler? What does that even mean?" Maya asked Julia who shrugged.
"It's a movie reference," Shawn explained. "And it doesn't matter. What matters is," he threw the woman a look of disgust. "She's in our home."
Katherine and Eli were given less than a warm welcome. Eli didn't seem bothered by it, but Jon was. He was struggling with Bella who made it clear she didn't like the stranger near her or her father. Grayson and Jamie were nonplussed by Katherine fussing over them as they were the most incredible kids she'd ever met. Neither were that gullible and both were very cool towards her.
The four continued to lurk in the shadows and Jon shot them an irritated look, annoyed with their rudeness. None of them had so much as said hello.
Maya, for whatever reason, charged out first as though she was meeting a bull head on.
"Aunt Audrey," she sang as she wrapped her arms around the redhead and gave Katherine a smug smile. "What are we havin' for dinner?"
"Cheeseburger Wellington." Audrey gave her shoulder an affectionate squeeze.
Maya smiled dreamily. "My aunt is the best cook. Everyone says so."
This comment was directed at Katherine, who smiled warmly back with no hint of irritation.
"Aunt Audrey is the best at everything," she went on. "I just love her."
"We all do," Cory piped up suddenly looking and sounding more like himself. "We'd fall a part if it weren't for her. I know I would."
Audrey and Jon both gave him a funny look as he planted himself in front of Katherine. "Hi, Miss Tompkins, remember me?"
"No," she said pleasantly. "Should I?"
"I slept through your class with Shawn."
The pleasantness flickered. "Cory Matthews."
"Yep," he said. "That's me."
Jon tapped him on the arm. When Cory turned around, he gave Bella to him and reprimanding look. "What's with you? I expect Shawn to pick a fight. Don't you do it, too."
Cory shrugged and bounced Bella up and down.
The evening was filled with awkward pauses, general uncomfortableness, and snide remarks made by the same four over and over. Audrey put an end to it by gripping Julia's knee and whispering in her ear a command to knock it off and tell the others to do so as well. Julia delivered this by kicking Maya who kicked Shawn who felt his best friend had been through enough and leaned over to tell him to stop.
The worst part of the night was that Katherine did nothing wrong. She was pleasant, funny, and seemed very devoted to Eli. Aside from blatantly ignoring Audrey unless Eli spoke to her, she was a normal girlfriend, giddy about the newness of her relationship.
Shawn knew she was up to something.
It was a set up.
But to what he didn't know.
After dinner, Julia and Maya were allowed to go with the other kids while the adults retreated to the living room, but Shawn and Cory opted to remain in the kitchen cleaning up.
And eavesdropping.
Unfortunately, there was nothing interesting being said. Eli and Katherine droned on about their dating adventures. Shawn was both bored and disgusted. Finally, he and Cory went upstairs.
As they climbed the stairs, a vague recollection began to take form in the back of Shawn's mind, becoming slightly clearer with each step.
"Hey, Cor," he stopped halfway up the staircase and turned to look back at the social studies teacher. "I think this has happened before."
"It has?"
"In high school."
Cory frowned as he scoured his memory. Shawn frowned as he stared at the wall. In the same moment, the light went on. The men turned and looked at each other with the same wide-eyed look of horror.
"Dr. Sorrell!"
Cory's frown deepened. "Did we ever figure out if he was an actual doctor?"
"No," Shawn replied making a face. "He told wilder stories than Chet did. Sometimes I wonder if he was even a teacher. I still say he conned the principal before Mr. Feeny into hirin' him."
Cory nodded. "He dated Miss Tompkins."
"While he was married."
"Are we sure he was actually married?"
"No, we are not."
They continued up the stairs. As they reached the landing, Shawn said, "What I remember is that Katherine dated Dr. Sorrell after Dad let her have it for stealin' my key and takin' his clothes."
"You started having a lot of problems with him after that."
Shawn nodded. "I couldn't do anythin' right. He would yell at me in front of everyone for the littlest thing."
"Before he ignored you."
"He ignored everyone."
"Except the athletes. He loved them." Cory smiled slightly. The man was an odd one, a bit manic and a lot egomaniacal. And not above taking bribes for grades.
Shawn stopped outside of his bedroom door. "He loved you too when he thought you saved his lab from burnin' down."
"Hated us both when he found we were the reason it almost burned down."
Shawn smirked. "I tried to tell you it wasn't worth sneakin' in to make it look like we turned the papers in on time."
A little bit of the old Cory began to peek through the grayness of the Cory in front of him at the memory.
"I guess, I shoulda listened," Cory grinned. "Mr. In Conclusion Chemicals Don't Explode."
For a moment the two friends were carefree teens only worried about chemistry labs and late papers as they entered the bedroom and crashed on the bunk beds.
"Dad could never prove Katherine was behind Dr. Sorrell's treatment of me," Shawn remarked looking over the edge of the top bed.
"No, but I remember Mr. Feeny did side with him."
"That surprised me since we had no proof," Shawn said. "I remember Mom bein' involved, too. She heard Dr. Sorrell screamin' at me one time and came to my defense. If it hadn't been so serious it woulda been funny. Mom was so tiny compared to him, but man, she made him have a seat. Literally."
Cory laughed. "I didn't know it was possible to be afraid of Audrey, but, boy, was I! Any time Jon got too annoyed with us in class, and I saw her standing behind him giving us that look, I'd think of Dr. Sorrell cowering on that stool in the corner of the lab and shut up."
Shawn grinned fir a moment then became serious again. "Katherine dumped him when Mr. Feeny got involved."
"And Dr. Sorrell went back to ignoring you."
"We never saw him after that year."
Cory shook his head. "Dad said the school board investigated him when Mr. Feeny went to them with his concerns. I don't know if his relationship with Miss Tompkins is what got him fired, but I don't think it mattered. I think Mr. Feeny had been documenting things on him for a while."
"I hate that she's in my house," Shawn sighed. "What's the point of datin' Eli?"
"She's targeting someone. You? Julia?"
Shawn's face paled. "Mom."
Cory looked upset. "And now she's been invited in. I was wrong, Shawn. The Penningtons aren't the vampires. She is."
Shawn sighed. While he didn't believe any of them were vampires, he couldn't help but shiver.
"I can't see this lasting long though," Cory reasoned trying to reassure them both. "I mean, this is Eli we're talking about. Jon and Audrey won't be on board with this. And if Jon isn't on board, Eli will jump ship. He's not gonna get serious with someone Jon doesn't like."
Shawn shrugged, not feeling very confident about that as things had progressed this far. Unfortunately, he couldn't say he knew what Eli would or wouldn't do as he'd had no contact with him over the years.
"Let's hope."
The men reminisced a little longer about the days of their youth with Jon, Audrey, and Eli until Cory glanced at his watch and said regrettably, "I should probably head home. Shawn, do you really not mind if we go on ahead to Philly?"
"No, I want you to, Cory. We'll be right behind you. Tell your mom and dad I'm lookin' forward to seein' them."
Cory stood up and stretched. "I will. I'm really glad we're all doing this. I can't wait to get home."
"Yeah, me too."
Cory and Shawn reached the living room just in time to hear Jon saying goodbye to Eli and Katherine.
"I am so glad you guys came over tonight." Jon sounded happy. Almost like his old self.
Cory and Shawn exchanged aggrieved looks. This was the opposite of what they were hoping to hear.
"Me, too, Jonny." Eli pulled him into a hug. "Just like old times."
"Speakin' of old times, the four of us need to get together and double date."
"Yes!" Eli exclaimed. "Man, I have missed those days."
"That sounds wonderful, Jonny," Katherine purred at him as she hugged Eli tightly.
The only one who did not chime into the conversation was Audrey who stood quietly next to Jon holding his hand. Her expression was blank. And a blank expression was as bad as silence.
"We've got Spring Break coming up," Katherine went on. "Why don't we get together then?"
"Can't," Jon replied, absently putting his arm around Audrey, who leaned into him while keeping a watchful eye on the other woman. "We're goin' out of town."
"Oh?" Katherine asked with interest. "Where to?"
"Philly."
"I haven't been to Philadelphia in a long time," she said turning to Eli and giving him a hopeful look.
"Yes, well," Audrey said demurely. "It's getting late, and we still have packing to do. We'll talk to you when we get back."
Both Shawn and Cory knew that was code for "get out of my house and don't follow us".
"Can you believe it, Aud?" Jon grinned looking pleased. "Kat and Eli together. Crazy."
"No," Audrey said flatly. Suspicion encased her words. "I can't."
After Eli and Katherine left, Jon picked up the scattered dishes and took them to the kitchen, whistling as he went.
Audrey stood by the door with her arms over her stomach with that blank look on her face. Hesitantly, Cory and Shawn approached her.
"Mom?"
Audrey's expression softened as she turned to look at them.
"How're my boys?"
Cory smiled, then said seriously, "Not so good. What was all that about?"
Behind him, Shawn smacked his shoulder in warning not to say anything.
"She's up to something."
Neither expected her to say this and they exchanged surprised looks.
"You know it, too, don't you?" Audrey's eyes darkened a shade as she looked at them expectantly.
"Cory?" She zeroed in on him because they all knew Cory wouldn't be able to get out of answering her as easily as Shawn could.
"W-well," he stammered under her intense gaze. "We've never liked her and she's never liked us. We really don't like her in our home. You know this is sacred ground and she's…well, you know."
Ignoring his babbling, Audrey stepped closer to him. "You didn't answer my question."
Cory looked to Shawn for help. He did not want to lie to Audrey, nor did he want to make things worse for her. One or the other was going to happen and he didn't know which one to choose.
Shawn was quiet, considering his options. Katherine was the least of his worries because of the text messages and he had not been watching her as closely as he apparently should have been. Audrey taking over monitoring her would make it easier for him to focus on the text messages, but he still worried that it would cause problems for her. And Jon. However, she already suspected something. Perhaps much more than he knew.
Shawn put his hand on Cory's shoulder as much to steady himself as to reassure his best friend that he would take care of this.
Taking a deep breath, he said, "Yeah, we do."
Next up: Eddie Hunter has some thoughts about his baby "brother".
The final interlude piece should be up within a week. Then on to the last two chapters. One more for sure this month. Last chapter in early January. Then onto Book III.
Thank you so much for reading. I really hope everyone is enjoying the story.