Story Time

by Edward Bloor

  June answered, "I'm sure she isn't."

  "What's this can man's real name?"

  June hesitated, so Kate answered, "He's a homeless person. He got arrested here last Friday."

  Rosetta punched at the WebWizard X. "That should be good enough. Who else?"

  "The others are all homeless, too. They've been kept in quarantine at their shelter."

  "Quarantine? For what? What's wrong with them?"

  "There's nothing wrong with them. The county coroner is willing to quarantine anyone who they"—she directed an accusing finger at Dr. Austin and Bud—"want to keep away from here."

  Rosetta knitted her eyebrows. "Very well. I'll call that in first thing in the morning. Now please sign the statement."

  June told her, "No, ma'am. You'll call that in right now."

  They locked eyes; Rosetta looked away first. "All right. I'll have the Justice Department get the first two out, and Health and Human Services will get on that quarantine thing right away."

  She used the versatile WebWizard X to notify all of the pertinent people. In less than one minute, she announced, "Done. The feds are on it."

  June signed the contract and handed it back.

  Rosetta looked down at her watch, then up toward the roof. She sighed and told the group, "It looks like we still have some time together."

  Rosetta cast a kindly look at the children. "And, it seems to me, that we have a few more prisoners of this place. Don't we, George Melvil?"

  George, at first, did not understand what she meant.

  "You and I had a conversation once about a big mutant octopus. Do you remember that?"

  George remembered. "Oh yes! We had that conversation. Yes, ma'am."

  Rosetta extended her WebWizard X out to him. "Show me what it looks like."

  George took the device and held it reverently in his hands, studying its features. He accessed the Internet and punched in kingscountyschools.com. Within seconds the screen displayed the black outline of the Whittaker Magnet School District.

  George handed the WebWizard X back to Rosetta. She studied the screen for a long moment, her Up curling higher and higher in disapproval. She looked over at Dr. Austin. "There's no way that this is legal."

  Dr. Austin was flummoxed. "It most certainly is legal! It was drawn up by the County Commission."

  Rosetta winked at the children. "I'll tell you what I'm going to have the Justice Department review this. And the Department of Education. And the Civil Rights Commission. Maybe they'll all agree that this arrangement is the fairest one for the children of King's County, but I wouldn't bet on it"

  Dr. Austin raised his hand to object, but no thought came into his head, so he put it back down.

  "I don't like this octopus thing you have going here. I don't like seafood of any kind." Rosetta looked at June. "I think it's time to free all of the prisoners."

  A tremendous racket above caused the nine people in the room to look up. It sounded like a tornado wind, followed by the scraping of a giant chair across the roof. Rosetta said, "That's the helicopter, coming to take die First Lady away."

  Rosetta counted her signed statements and her witnesses once more. When she was satisfied, she told them, "All right. This meeting is over. For the record, ladies and gentlemen, this meeting never happened. Now, I need all of you to stay put. I'll come back for you in ten minutes."

  Rosetta exited and hurried down the hallway to the stairwell.

  But the instant the door closed, Kate hissed at George, "Let's get up to the roof!" She turned to June, William, Molly, and Mrs. Brennan. "Wait here. We'll come back for you."

  Bud held out his hands. "What about us?"

  Dr. Austin seemed as perplexed as Bud. Kate instructed them flatly, "You wait here, too."

  Kate and George dashed down the hallway to Cornell Whittaker Number Two's office. They reversed their usual route, passing through the office, through the secret room, and up the eight-rung ladder. Then they crouched behind the mushroom cap and scanned the rooftop.

  The helicopter was enormous and black. It idled on the north side of the roof with its blades rotating slowly, scattering what was left of the red, white, and blue bunting and the phonics flyers.

  Agent Pflaum was sitting on the cinders just four feet away talking softly to his BioSensor. The First Lady was several yards away, sitting very straight on a folding chair.

  As Kate and George watched, four agents approached the First Lady and helped her walk to the helicopter. Two of the agents then returned for Agent Pflaum and loaded him on, too. The helicopter revved up and took off quickly, leaving only Rosetta Turner on the roof. Or so she thought.

  Kate and George straightened themselves and stepped out from behind the mushroom cap.

  Rosetta's eyes snapped open. "How did you two get here?"

  George deadpanned, "Magic."

  "I don't believe in magic."

  "Neither did I, Miss Turner. Not until I saw it happen here today."

  Rosetta told him seriously, "I have four signed statements that say it didn't happen here today. Do you remember those?"

  George gulped and took a step backward. "Yes. I remember those."

  They walked toward the stairwell in silence until Kate spoke. "Miss Turner, can you really do all the things you promised?"

  "Yes, I can. Most of it has already been done. Instantaneously." She pulled out the Web Wizard X. "We live in the information age."

  "So ... when can we get Pogo and the can man out of jail?"

  "We can get them out right now. Your sheriff's not going to argue with the Justice Department. Not with the two dead people—make that three dead people—he's got stashed in the cooler."

  "I want Dr. Austin to be there when we go to get them out. Okay?"

  "Why?"

  "Because nothing bad ever happens to him. He just keeps moving up. He never has a day of reckoning."

  Rosetta flashed a perfect smile. "A day of reckoning? I don't know if it will be that, but all right. I'll throw that wish in, too. We'll bring the doctor with us. What about the fish guy?"

  Kate decided. "He should be there, too."

  They stopped at the office door. Rosetta banged on it loudly and called inside. "Let's go! All of you! We're taking a ride."

  45. Freeing the Prisoners

  By the time Rosetta's group emerged from the library entrance, all the news trucks and reporters had departed the scene. A lone policewoman was directing the cars of parents, such as William Anderson's, who had come to pick up their children.

  William stood with his large feet on the curb, waiting while a white Volvo inched its way toward him. When he saw Kate and George, he said, "Thanks, you guys. Thanks for, you know, including me."

  George muttered, "No problem, William."

  "Now I know all about the ghost. Right? We proved it. QED."

  George patted him on the shoulder. "Actually, William, 'We proved it' and 'QED' mean the same thing."

  Kate smiled. "I'm going to pay you a compliment, William." He looked at her expectantly. Kate jerked her head toward the glass doors. "You don't belong here."

  William's face reddened. "Thanks, Kate."

  William's mother rolled down the passenger side window as her car pulled up. She called out, "June? Is that June Peters?"

  A twitch of fear showed in June's face, but it passed quickly. She answered, "Yes. It is. How are you, Linda? How are you, Bill?"

  "We're just fine, June. How are you? We heard you weren't doing too well."

  "I wasn't. But I'm much better now."

  "Good. It's good to see you again."

  William ducked his head and climbed into the back. The policewoman waved at them impatiently, so the Volvo pulled quickly away.

  A few seconds later, the policewoman waved a pair of black Lincoln Town Cars to the curb. Rosetta opened the door of the first car for Kate, George, June, Molly, and Mrs. Brennan. As she climbed in behind them, she pointed at the second car. "There's no more room in th
is one, Doctor. You two follow us."

  Dr. Austin asked suspiciously, "Where are we going?"

  "We're going to take care of business, all of the business that we discussed in your office."

  "Oh? Oh, yes. That's good." He and Bud hurried to the second car.

  Rosetta's group settled in among the leather seats, TV screens, and tinted glass of the Lincoln.

  George marveled aloud. "Look at all this stuff! It's a rolling White House communications center, right?"

  "It is, indeed." Rosetta slid her Web Wizard X into a portal. She pressed a button, and a computer screen blipped to life before them. She pressed PRINT, waited a moment, then handed Mrs. Brennan the fax that dropped from a slot.

  "Look at this: We've already heard from the National Registry of Historic Buildings. Here you are, ma'am. Your Palace Theatre is now on its protected list."

  Mrs. Brennan studied the fax and nodded approvingly. She asked Rosetta, "Is there any way to send this fax to the other car? I think Mr. Bud Wright needs to see it."

  Rosetta pressed another button. "Yes, indeed. He needs to see it. And he's getting it right now."

  Kate, George, and Molly turned around to witness Bud Wright's consternation.

  Rosetta said, "Slide over here, Kate. I want you to see this."

  Kate changed seats with George and watched the small screen as Rosetta supplied commentary. "This is real-time streaming video. The United States Coast Guard is at Bud Wright's Aquatic Park right now. They're loading Orchid the Orca onto a rescue helicopter, which will then transfer her to a special cargo plane. She'll be free off the coast of California in approximately four hours."

  Molly and George exchanged high fives with Kate.

  Finally, after listening to it herself, Rosetta let them hear a voice mail from the Justice Department. They heard a man's voice, in clipped tones: "Van 83091 is en route to the King's County Sheriff's Department. It is transporting the inhabitants of the King's County Homeless Shelter."

  "I want to get all of the 'prisoners' together," Rosetta explained. "We'll release them all at the same time."

  The two Lincolns pulled into a redbrick courtyard in front of the King's County Sheriff's Department.

  An unmarked white van was already parked by the door. A man in a blue suit got out of it and approached the car. "Good afternoon, Miss Turner."

  She responded to him familiarly, "Hello, Barney."

  "I have a delivery for you. From the top. Eight people from the homeless shelter." He handed her a clipboard.

  "Thank you very much." She signed a form. "Okay. You can let them out now."

  Bud's brother emerged from the Sheriff's Department building guiding Pogo and the can man by the elbows. The man told Rosetta, "This is Sheriff Wright. He received a fax from the Justice Department to re-lease two prisoners."

  Rosetta got out of the car followed by June, George, Kate, Molly, and Mrs. Brennan. They fanned out across the courtyard.

  Rosetta walked up to the sheriff. She demanded to know, "What are these people's names?"

  The sheriff struggled to read from a clipboard, "Miss Poga-poga-zoo-ski and Mr. Peters."

  "Why were you holding them?"

  "Uh, suspicion of murder, ma'am."

  "Murder of whom?"

  "Uh, I'm not sure yet, ma'am. I'll have to consult with these two gentlemen."

  The sheriff pointed to the second Lincoln. Dr. Austin and Bud had emerged from their car and were standing, staring with distaste at the homeless people.

  Rosetta declared loudly, "I think Dr. Austin and Mr. Wright will tell you that these two people could not possibly be responsible for any murders at the library or anywhere else."

  Dr. Austin and Bud smiled weakly at the sheriff. Bud finally called over, "That's right, Bubba. Whatever the lady there said is right."

  Dr. Austin motioned for Rosetta Turner to join him away from the others. She shook her head no, so he slinked over to her and whispered, "Listen: There are incidents that have occurred at the library that you don't know about. Incidents that have yet to be resolved. Incidents that have nothing to do with today's agreement."

  "Do you mean the stiffs in the cooler?"

  Dr. Austin pulled back. Then he admitted, "Yes."

  "Are you looking to blame those incidents on someone who may be in this area?"

  Dr. Austin squirmed. "That may be the case. Depending on the coroner's findings."

  "I see. Well, let me assure you, everyone you see here is protected by today's agreement."

  Rosetta's cell phone lit up bright blue and made a musical sound. She checked its screen, said, "Excuse me," and drifted three feet away. But she spoke loud enough for Dr. Austin to hear. "Yes, I'll hold for the president."

  She covered the speaker, looked back, and asked Dr. Austin and Bud, "Now, gentlemen, am I correct in saying that these prisoners should be released?"

  Dr. Austin answered with great enthusiasm, "Oh yes. Yes!"

  Rosetta caught the sheriff's eye. She motioned that the eight homeless people and Pogo and the can man should be allowed to walk over to her. "Am I also correct in saying that these people are welcome in the King's County Library at any time?"

  Dr. Austin answered giddily. "Yes! Why not? By all means."

  The eight homeless people looked at each other and shook their heads at the craziness of it all.

  Rosetta spoke into the cell phone in a low voice. Then she held it out to Dr. Austin. She apologized. "I was wrong. It isn't the president."

  Dr. Austin stiffened.

  "But it is the president's chief of staff."

  Dr. Austin's eyes grew wide. He took the phone, but he covered it right away. "What do I call her?"

  "It's a him. Call him 'sir.'"

  Dr. Austin started immediately, "Yes, sir?" He continued to say, "Yes, sir," very happily for two minutes. Then he stopped. His face turned pale, and he inquired, "I'm sorry. On what condition?"

  Dr. Austin handed the cell phone back to Rosetta. He searched the crowd to find a face from his past.

  Dr. Austin walked up to Mrs. Brennan. "I have decided to give you your old job back, as director of Library Services. I will be too busy to run the library system." He turned to include a wider audience. "I will be devoting myself full-time to education as a member of the Presidential Commission on Teacher Accountability." Dr. Austin then spun around on his heel and walked away.

  Mrs. Brennan did not say a word back to him. She thought for a while and finally remarked to June, "Little Jimmy Austin. He is amazing. He continues to rise while everybody around him falls."

  June, too, had listened to Dr. Austin's latest announcement with growing anger. As soon as she could, she motioned Mrs. Brennan over to the side of the white van, where they engaged in a prolonged conversation. Kate, George, and Molly watched them with undisguised curiosity.

  June finally took Mrs. Brennan by the elbow and walked her back toward the children. Kate, George, and Molly waited for one of them to speak, but neither one would.

  Molly cracked first. She demanded of her grandmother, "So? What is it? What's the big friggin' mystery?"

  But before Mrs. Brennan could fashion a suitable, evasive reply, another mystery presented itself. The can man walked up, wringing his hands, and stood in front of June.

  "I know what's been going on at the library, June. I saw with my own eyes what happened to those people. I know now that everything you said was true. Can you ever forgive me?"

  At first, June didn't even look at him. Then she did. Anger creased the lines of her face, and she snapped, "No, I can't ever forgive you! Do you have any idea what you did to me? And to your daughter?"

  The can man tried to tell her, "I don't know why I did what I did, June—"

  But June cut him off. "I know why you did it. And so do you! You always had to have the best—the best ... laptop, the best golf clubs. And suddenly you had something that wasn't the best. Me. Your wife. There was something wrong with me, so you took off."
r />   Kate slipped in next to June and took her hand.

  The can man couldn't even look at her. He mumbled with his head down, "I understand, June. I don't deserve to be forgiven."

  Kate stared up at June, dumbfounded. June finally said, "All right. Go on, Charley. Say hello to your daughter."

  Charley Peters slowly raised his bearded face and looked at Kate. He spoke, with desperation in his voice, "Hello, Kate."

  Kate stared at him for a long time, trying to sort out all the contradictions in her head. She finally babbled, "I-I thought you were in Japan or someplace. I wrote you a bunch of letters. I thought you were a teacher. Not a..."

  Charley completed her thought. "Not a what? A homeless bum?"

  "I didn't say that."

  June spoke only to Kate, her voice filled with contempt. "He abandoned us, Kate. He turned tail and ran."

  Charley stood there a moment longer, in abject shame, and then shuffled away.

  "So?" Kate whispered. "Is that it? Will I ever see him again?"

  June shrugged. "Do you want to?"

  "Yes. I want to. I think."

  June exhaled, long and loud. "Then maybe we can work something out. Maybe something at the library. Something that I can monitor, of course."

  Kate then became aware of a bobbing presence ten feet in front of her. She looked up and saw Pogo waving and trying to get her attention. Kate waved back, so Pogo stopped bobbing. She smiled at Kate with all the gratitude she could muster. Then she told her:

  "There was a crooked man

  Who walked a crooked mile."

  Kate instinctively turned her head to look for Dr. Austin. She spotted him in the back of Rosetta's Town Car. He was sitting next to Bud, talking on a cell phone, and jabbing at the air with his hand. Kate swiveled back to see Pogo, but she was too late. Pogo was gone.

  Rosetta Turner rolled down the front passenger window. She called over, "I'm off to the airport now. You folks take care!"

  She pointed into the backseat, with its two eager occupants. "We have just a few more details to work out about those chipmunks. The other car will take you back to the library. Can you all get home from there?"

  When no one else responded, Kate answered, "Yes, we can. No problem."