by Bob Blanton
Brianna gave Jason a dirty look. “No, I ordered it. Hanna helped me design it.”
“Yes, where’s my piece!” Hanna yelled. “Do we have ice cream, too?”
“Of course. Emily, will you cut the cake, while I go get the ice cream?”
“Sure.”
“All right guys, we need to talk about the Prom,” Alex said.
“Already!” Matthew complained.
“Pay attention,” Brianna said.
“I think we should all go in Victorian dress,” Alex said. “Don’t you think that would be cool?”
“Why do you have to drag us into your schemes?” Tyler asked.
“Because we’re a team,” Alex said.
“Come on, guys. It’ll be fun,” Brianna said. “Right, Emily?”
“Yes, I think it could be fun,” Emily said. “We’ll definitely stand out.”
“Okay, it’s agreed,” Alex said.
“Wait! Don’t we get a say?” Matthew hollered.
The three girls just glared at Matthew. “Excuse me, what I meant to say was, what a splendid idea. It’ll be a jolly good show.”
“Spot on, old chap,” Jason said. “I assume you ladies will be picking out our outfits.”
“We’ll give you choices,” Alex said.
At that time, Matthew’s phone buzzed. “Excuse me,” he said, and he walked down the hall to the bathroom. Opening his portal he checked in on Sayid. He was looking at a website on his phone. It was on a wire transfer page for the numbered account. It showed that the available funds were a whopping two hundred thirty two million dollars. Sayid hesitated for a few seconds then he closed the page and went back to the party he was attending.
“What was that?” Emily asked.
“Nothing,” Matthew said.
“Come on,” Emily pleaded.
“Sayid, I’ll explain later.”
“Everyone up for sailing tomorrow?” Jason asked.
“Not me,” Tyler said. “My dad’s having a BBQ party and I have to be there.”
“Come down by ten if you can get out of it,” Jason said. “Everyone else okay?”
Jason got a thumbs-up from all the others. “Matt, I’ll pick you up at nine,” Emily said. “That will save Jason from having to double back to get Alex.”
“Okay, see you then.”
◆ ◆ ◆
Matthew was waiting at the curb outside his house when Emily drove up. “Thanks for the ride,” he said, as he slide into the passenger seat.
“Not a problem,” Emily said. “Now spill.”
“What?”
“Tell me what was up with Sayid yesterday.”
“Oh, it’s a bit of a story.”
“We’ve got time,” Emily said. “Now start talking.”
“Okay, okay,” Matthew said. “You know I’ve been trying to keep tabs on him. Remember I told you that I managed to get the passcode for his phone. When I was getting all the info on the trading accounts and bank accounts, I saw that he visited this other offshore bank. The login page and cookies didn’t give any information about the account. So I put an app on his phone so that when he accessed that bank’s login page I get an alert. I want to get the password for it, but unfortunately, this time I was too late to get the password. But get this, there’s over two hundred thirty million dollars in it. ”
“Wow, that’s a lot of money. Why do you want his password?”
“So I can see where the money’s coming from and where it’s going.”
“Shouldn’t you let Caruthers do that?”
“The account’s not tied to Sayid, so she really can’t get a warrant. Without a password there’s nothing anyone can do.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Surprise!” Brianna yelled, as Matthew came in the door.
“What is this for?” Matthew asked, seeing all his friends standing around the room.
“We heard that a certain someone just got his learner’s permit,” Brianna said. “So that calls for cake.”
“And ice cream!” screamed Hanna, Jessica and Sonja together.
“The munchkins are in on it, too,” Matthew said, giving his little sister a hug.
“Can’t have cake in this house without Hanna; and she so loves to design them.”
Matthew moved over to the table to check out the cake. “Oh a car, how clever.”
“Well, you’re going to be driving now, so it’s appropriate.”
“It’s six months before I can drive without an adult, so it’s not that exciting.”
“That’s good, by then I’ll be safely on the East Coast,” Tyler said.
“Oh, so you made your decision,” Matthew said.
“More like they made theirs,” Tyler replied. “But it worked out great; BC gets me, the guy from Texas is going to Stanford.”
Emily gave Brianna a nod and she pulled a second cake up from below the counter. This one was designed like a football field with Boston College written in the end zone.
“Oh, so Brea is not the only clever one,” Tyler said.
Emily clapped her hands and said, “Well, it’s not every day your boyfriend gets accepted to Boston College and makes the football team.”
“Thanks,” Tyler said, and kissed Emily.
“How’s the driving going?” Jason asked Matthew.
“I’ve only driven the one time when I got my permit.”
“You’d better get more practice than that.”
“I will. I’ve been going into Encinitas twice a week to practice on the simulator. And Mom has agreed to let me drive to school twice a week when she doesn’t have a morning class to teach.”
“Good, good, but what about some more practice?”
“I’ll get to drive on Tuesday afternoon when she picks up Jessie. And we’ve got a few short road trips planned for the weekends,” Matthew added.
“Short road trips are okay, but you really need to do a long road trip,” Tyler said. “When I got my learner’s permit, Dad and I drove to Seattle and back.”
“Well, we’re going to visit my Gran after school is out, and we’re going to drive. So that’s twenty-eight hundred miles of practice plus the return trip.”
“That’ll be cool,” Brianna said.
“I guess,” Matthew replied. “But remember, Jessica will be my backseat driver the whole way.”
“Ohh.”
“When are you going?”
“The plan is to leave the week after Fourth of July; avoid the big holiday crunch.”
“That’s when we’re going to Italy,” Brianna said. “On the sixteenth.
“I’m sorry I won’t be here to see you off,” Matthew said.
“You can see her off from New York. Jason said. “We’ll be staying at our grandparents’ house for the first two weeks of July. We’ll be just a ferry ride away.”
“Good, I’ll make a point of coming by to say goodbye.”
“We can have a bon-voyage party,” Emily said. “I’ll be in New York with my mom.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Okay, do we have any new information?” Agent Caruthers demanded, as she started her briefing. Matthew had just opened up his portal to listen in.
“We’ve got eyes on a likely terrorist. We were able to track him from the last phone number we got from Ranger Zero. We picked him up last night on surveillance just south of D.C.”
“Good, keep eyes on him. I want to know if anything changes,” Agent Caruthers said. “Now what about the money?”
“He’s amassed over fifty million dollars now, and he has started to buy options on oil. He’s used about thirty million dollars so far and they’re all due August first.”
“So that means that whatever is going to happen will happen in next two months.”
“Yes, and it seems to indicate something to do with oil prices going up.”
“Do you think it’s about an attack on an oil facility in Iraq or Kuwait?”
“Then why would Sayid be involved?” Agent Caruthers aske
d. “No, it’s got to be something here in the U.S. Castro, Giacomo pack your bags, we’re being called to D.C. to head up the task force on this.”
“Why us?”
“We’re the only ones getting inside intel, so they want us close to the action.”
◆ ◆ ◆
That morning at school, Matthew let Emily know about the oil connection. “We need to figure out what kind of event or terrorist attack might affect the price of oil before August 1st.”
“I’ll research what’s going on diplomatically during that time, but won’t Caruthers have all that intel anyway?”
“Yes, but the more eyes the better.”
Prom Week
“All hail the prom queen,” Jason said, as Emily made it to their lunch table.
“Oh, quit it,” Emily blushed. “It’s only because I’m dating Tyler.”
“Of course, and where is our king?”
“Eating with his football buddies,” Emily said. “He spends more time with them than he ever does with me.”
“Why do you put up with it?” Matthew asked.
“Actually it’s easier that way,” Emily said. “He’s kind of needy.”
“Ha, ha,” Alex said. “That light he wants shined on him all the time gets kind of heavy, huh?”
“Be nice or I’ll have you thrown in the dungeon.”
“You’ve heard your queen,” Jason said. “Be nice, or else off with your head.”
“What are you guys going on about?” Brianna asked, as she sat down.
“They’re just teasing me,” Emily said.
“Why, everyone knew you’d be prom queen,” Brianna said.
“But that doesn’t mean that we can’t tease her,” Jason said. “The price of fame and royalty.”
“Now listen. Now that it’s official, I think we should get a limo and all six of us should arrive together,” Alex said. “The royal couple and their court.”
“And since we’ll all be in Victorian dress, it’ll be perfect,” Brianna said.
“And it solves how you and Matt are getting to the prom,” Jason added.
“Hey, I had that covered. I’ve already reserved a limo,” Matthew said.
“Is it big enough for six?” Alex asked.
“I don’t know. I was only worried about two.”
“You will find out, won’t you, Matt?” Emily asked. “I think it’ll be fun to all go together. We had a good time together in Hawaii.”
“I’ll check right after lunch.”
“Good, now where should we go to dinner?” Alex asked. “I’m thinking Jakes, a table right by the windows so we can watch the ocean.”
◆ ◆ ◆
“Matt, come on down so I can get your picture before the limo gets here,” Mrs. Brandt called out.
“Okay, Mom,” Matthew replied, as he made his way down the stairs.
“You look like James West,” Mrs. Brandt said. “Very Steampunk.”
“Thanks,” Matthew blushed. He was wearing a Victorian men’s tailcoat, with the short front that ended above his waist. A grey paisley waistcoat was beneath that. His white, high-collar, dress shirt only showed above the black silk ascot tie.
“Okay, I’ve got a couple of surprises for you,” Mrs. Brandt said. “Here, let’s put this diamond pin in your tie there. Oh, very stylish.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“And the Pièce De Résistance, your grandfather’s silver pocket watch. Perfect! The chain adds a nice touch, don’t you think?”
“Mom, are you sure?”
“Of course I am. Now stand over there and let me get your picture… Now put the top hat on… Jessie, go stand next to Matty… Where’s your cane?”
“Right behind you.”
“Okay, hold it… Now let Jessie hold it… Okay, Jessie give it back to Mattie and come over here… Perfect.”
“Can I go now?”
“Yes, Cara has promised to get more pictures with you and Brea. And of course you’ll get a professional set at the prom, right?”
“Yes, we’ve all been instructed about the pictures.”
“Good, don’t get anything on you at dinner,” Mrs. Brandt added.
“I won’t,” Matthew said, rolling his eyes.
“Don’t roll your eyes at me, buster,” Mrs. Brandt playfully scolded. “Now go ahead, have a good time. Do you have Brea’s corsage?”
“Oh, it’s in the refrigerator,” Matthew said, as he ran to the kitchen.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Matty’s here,” Hanna yelled from the door.
“Oh good,” Mrs. Winthrop said. “You two, one more picture together… now Hanna stand in between them… Don’t worry; Matt can let himself in… Okay that’s good. Jason, you can relax while I take photos of Brea and Matt.”
“Finally, I think I’m blind from all the flashes,” Jason said, holding his hand over his eyes.
“Well, you’d better rest up. Jane will be taking lots of pictures when you pick Alex up.”
“Don’t I know.”
“Hi, Cara,” Matthew said, as he came in the door. “Wow, Brea, you’re beautiful.”
“And you’re only now noticing?”
“I mean that dress is beautiful on you,” Matthew stammered. “You’re always beautiful.”
“Good recovery, silly,” Brianna said.
“And Hanna, that dress looks beautiful on you, too.”
“Yes, it’s just like Brea’s but mine is purple,” Hanna squealed.
Both girls were wearing taffeta gowns, Brianna’s in a pale rose color, Hanna in a much bolder purple color. Each had silk flowers across the bodice, which darted to a shallow point below the waist. The backs of their gowns were closed with hooks. The skirts had small bustles and each fell to the floor in a tight bell shape. They were trimmed in a scalloped ruffled edge.
“How are you going to sit down?” Matthew asked.
“It’s not too bad,” Brianna said. “Modern technology, the bustle is very flexible.”
“I’m glad I got the wrist corsage again,” Matthew said. “Although there’s plenty of room to pin it on, it would have to compete with all those silk flowers.” Brianna was wearing the same diamond earrings she’d worn to the winter ball with a matching diamond necklace. Matthew put the corsage on the right wrist, since the left wrist was sporting the diamond tennis bracelet Brianna had gotten for her birthday.
“Okay, pictures,” Mrs. Winthrop said. “Matt, stand on Brea’s right… good… give me that cane… Okay now put on the top hat… Now Brea, stand just in front of Matt… And Matt hold your top hat… Now take the cane back… good. Now make sure you get plenty of pictures at the prom.”
“I want a picture with Matty,” Hanna whined.
“Okay, honey,” Mrs. Winthrop said.
Matthew kneeled down and let Mrs. Winthrop take the same series of pictures with Hanna.
“Okay, then one last one with the three of you,” Mrs. Winthrop said. “Hanna, stand in the middle.”
“Are we ready now?” Jason asked.
“Hey, nice outfit,” Matthew said as he took in Jason’s costume. It was similar to his, but Jason had a dark green topcoat with a black collar and black inside lining. His waistcoat was a green paisley. He had on the same black, highland pants, but had sprung for the black, lace-up boots. He had the same shirt, ascot and top hat.
“I assume the green has something to do with Alex’s outfit,” Matthew said.
“Of course,” Jason replied. “We should get going, three more stops to make before we’ve collected everyone.”
“Bye, Cara,” Matthew said.
“You kids be careful,” Mrs. Winthrop said. “And get lots of pictures.”
“Yes, Mom,” Jason said.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Are you guys coming in?” Jason asked as they pulled up in front of the Morrisons’ home.
“Yes!” Brea said. “I want to see Alex in her dress. And we don’t want to be waiting out here while Jane takes a million
pictures.” Brianna raced ahead to the door, if you could call the shuffled steps she had to make because of the restrictive skirt, racing.
“Hi, Brea,” Alex called out, as she opened the door. “I love the dress on you. Very San Francisco Nob Hill.”
“Why, thank you,” Brianna said, doing a quick turn to show off her dress. “You’re going to love Jason’s outfit.”
“I’m sure I will since I picked it out,” Alex said. “Come on in, the guys are sure slow.”
“They’re probably preening,” Brianna joked. “Hello, Lady Jane.”
“Hello, Miss Brianna,” Mrs. Morrison said, as she shook Brianna’s hand. “You do look lovely.”
“Thank you,” Brianna said. “Boy, Alex and Jason are going to be perfect. I love the way that dress fits you.”
“Thanks. It is rather special,” Alex said. “And here is my gallant gentleman caller.”
“Hi Alex, hello Jane,” Jason said, as he came in.
“Hello Jason, hello Matt. You two do look simply smashing in those outfits.”
“Why thank you, my dear,” Jason said, as he did a quick spin to show off his outfit.
“Matt, you and Brea can go in and relax while we take pictures,” Alex said. “It might be a while.”
“Thanks, Alex,” Matthew said. “Wow, what a gown!”
“Thank you,” Alex said, as she did a spin to show off the beautiful green silk gown she was wearing.
It was a dark green satin overdress with a satin bodice with a gold jacquard pattern of leaves and scrolls that just covered the shoulder. The back laced and it had long, wide, chiffon sleeves. There was a long train of darker green silk. Alex wore emerald earrings and a necklace with emerald and diamond clusters.
“How are you going to deal with that train?” Matthew asked.
“Oh you’re so practical,” Alex said. “But so was the designer. It attaches with discreet, well-hidden snaps. So once we’ve made our entrance, I can take it off.”
“Clever.”
“Jason, stand next to Alex… no on her left… top hat on… … Now, Alex, just in front of Jason… Hold the cane… … You’re free to go. Now get lots of pictures.”
“Yes, Mummy,” Alex said, as the four friends headed to the door to make their escape.
◆ ◆ ◆
Tyler’s house was just two blocks away from the Winthrops’, and he came out immediately when the limo pulled up. His outfit was identical to Matthew’s except he had selected a black paisley waistcoat.
