Chapter Five
"And they galloped off into the sunset and lived happily ever after!"
Applause erupted across the small crowd as the curtain went down on "Puppets in the Park". Jerry leaned over and touched the bill of his baseball cap to that of his nephew. He was sure he looked completely silly wearing the bright yellow cap with the Cactus Jimmy logo and trademark green cactus standing on the bill, but Joey had instead that Uncle Jerry should look just like him for the play. Jerry also knew that it was for a good cause. Cactus Jimmy was a local production put on by volunteers. The proceeds went to various local children's charities. Amelia Womack, an ex-girlfriend turned buddy, had introduced him to the project a couple years earlier.
As the crowd began to break up, Amelia approached he and Joey. "Thanks so much for coming down and helping out around here." She tweaked Joey's cap. "And thank you for helping with the programs little 'fella!"
"Welcome." Joey beamed proudly.
Jerry chuckled, remembering how excited the child had been when Amelia allowed him to sit on the corner of the table and offer the folded documents to patrons. His small brow had furrowed in concentration as he'd made sure that every person received his or her program. The duty obviously made him feel like a big boy.
He glanced up and around, watching the thinning crowd moving off into other areas of the park. It was getting late in the day. The park's scheduled entertainment was changing from that focused on families and children to that of an older crowd. Already a slightly rowdy group was getting settled in a nearby alcove. The rising tone of their voices had interrupted the show several times near the end.
"How long will it take you to get all packed up?" he asked, thinking to help Amelia and the other two women who made up the Cactus Jimmy project get going in case things got any wilder.
Amelia cast a worried look in the direction of the group, then toward Samantha and Terry, her castmates. "We can usually get things wrapped up in about twenty minutes. Give or take."
Jerry grinned. "Even with the assistance of a couple strapping young men as ourselves?" he asked, grabbing Joey and raising him up to sit on his shoulder.
"Well in that case, ten minutes tops." She smiled her thanks. "And I know just what this little guy can help me with." She took Joey's hand as Jerry settled him back on the ground.
"I'm sure you can find a way to make yourself useful," she said over her shoulder as she led the little boy off toward one of the crates that sat behind the stand.
Joey and Amelia had completed packing the smaller items when Jerry began rolling the large, wheeled case containing the Cactus Jimmy stand toward the parking area. As the area that had been used for the show was located nearer the center of the park, the narrow dirt path that led to the parking area crossed directly in front of the rowdy area. Jerry considered cutting across the grassy slope that, though somewhat out of the way, would mean staying away from the wild bunch. But he rejected the idea. Cactus Jimmy's stand was far heavier than it looked, even on wheels, and he didn't want to risk damaging anything by attempting to roll it off the path.
"We'll meet you at the van," a voice called behind him.
He glanced back to find that Amelia, Sam, Terry and Joe were headed across the grass toward the parking lot carrying the rest of the setup. He called an acknowledging response and continued on his way.
***
The soccer balls had a mind of their own, that's all she could figure. That or five soccer balls and the rest of the paraphernalia that went with coaching a soccer team for underprivileged kids wasn't meant to fit in the trunk of a small Toyota. Kim glanced back at Steven, approaching with yet another bag of soccer "goodies" and was tempted to ask him to haul some of the stuff in his own car. But that would mean that he'd probably be late going in to work since he still needed to go home and change. Sighing, she resigned herself to having to stow the dirty gear in her back seat.
"I hope that's the last of it." She opened the door and watched him wedge the bulging sack between the floor and the back of the passenger seat. She didn't want to think about the dirt and grit she would be vacuuming out later.
"Yep. I think it went pretty well," Steve said. "A couple of the kids are a little rough around the edges."
"Yeah, I'll give you that one. And absolutely everyone came out to size me up. Roper says it's the best attendance he's seen at a practice ever. At least he's staying on as long as he can, hopefully until we can find another more reliable assistant coach to help out." Kim wondered with quiet panic if she hadn't taken on more than she could handle. Roper could only logically stay around for another couple weeks, then he'd be moving. After he left, there would still be another month to the Spring season.
Steven was sympathetic. "I'd love to help out, Kimmie. You know that. Maybe we'll have this investigation wrapped up by then. Everything is very critical right now. We don’t get chances like this very often. The company we're investigating could very well led to our catching some bigger fish. We can't let go of this opportunity. Lives--"
"Hold on." Kim cut him off, hands raised in a gesture of surrender. "You don't have to convince me big brother." Steven had switched into Detective mode in the blink of an eye. She'd forgotten how quickly that could happen.
"I know you're there if I really need help. And believe me, I'm not trying to guilt you into volunteering for the team. Things will work out. You'll see. Meantime, you're doing important stuff. Stuff that you're very, very good at. All I ask is that you be careful."
Steven's expression relaxed and he offered an embarrassed grin. "Sorry. I do get carried away sometimes. And I'm always careful."
"Good." Kim closed the rear passenger door. "Now go fight crime somewhere."
"Yes, ma'am." Steven saluted smartly, a silly grin on his face as he turned on his heel and headed for his car. Kim watched him go, seeing briefly in her mind's eye, the teenage boy that had become the man. It seemed a lifetime ago that she had first become a part of the Storm family. Steven had been fourteen and so serious. It had taken weeks before she discovered his underlying dry humor.
Smiling, she started around the car toward the driver's side. As she glanced back, she noticed something change in Steven's pace. He slowed, and then sped up, moving determinedly across the park in the opposite direction of the soccer fields.
***
One minute he was politely suggesting that the man stop pushing the woman. The next, he saw something large, beige and fuzzy approaching his face at a fast rate of speed. There was a burst of color and a dull thump before he found himself staring stunned at a field of blue interspersed with lazy white clouds. Sound faded and the world seemed to come to a stand still.
He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and re-opened them. Sound returned in the form of a hysterical voice screeching that he was to 'leave Bobby alone'. His gaze locked with the woman that he'd been trying to protect. She stood over him, a heavy knit bag, complete with hanging tassels, clutched in a fist. His first semi-coherent thought as the gears in his brain began to reanimate was that he couldn't believe that she'd hit him. The next, close on its heels was that he should probably get up off the ground. Especially considering the fact that the voices which belonged to the other faces that were staring down at him were encouraging her to hit him again.
Then, suddenly, he thought he heard the voice of reason. Someone who wasn't yelling, telling the crowd to break it up. He wasn't sure, but he thought there were crowd a few disappointed expressions among the group that was beginning to disperse. Still he stayed down, sure that any moment now his body would obey his wishes and he'd get up.
Someone stooped beside him and a familiar masculine face appeared. "You've got to be kidding me," he said.