Page 48 of Innocence

“Mama,” laughed Miller.

“What I told you as children don’t apply to me as an adult! Now, cake. Who wants some?”

Gaspar could only laugh. He would never win these arguments, and frankly, he was tired of having them. His blood pressure was going to go through the roof if he allowed this to eat at him.

“We’ll be bringing a few of the animals out to the island down south for the fear experiment,” said Gabe. “Sniff, Dex, and Striker are going to load them into cages, and we’ll drive them down when you tell us.”

“We appreciate the help,” said Mary. “Just make sure we don’t lose any of them.”

“I’ve spoken to Alvin. He has some friends who will be there,” said Trak with a straight face.

“Friends? You’ve spoken to the alligator who will have his ‘friends’ appear with him for us. Of course. I mean, that’s perfectly normal. We’re all perfectly normal.”

“Baby, we are anything but normal,” laughed Irene. “Who told you we were normal? Normal is no fun. It stinks. It’s boring and blase and, and…”

“Normal,” frowned Gaspar.

“Yeah. Normal. Nobody wants to be normal, Gaspar.”

“I guess not, Mama. Lord knows there’s not a normal person on this property. We’re about the most abnormal group of folks I’ve ever known.” His wife kissed him, smiling.

“Yes, but isn’t that wonderful? We’re abnormal together.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

With clear heads and fresh eyes, they went back at it the next morning, trying to find a connection to one of their students and perhaps another from a different school.

The offices for Gray Wolf Security were next to the tattoo shop. Since it was Saturday, it was busier than usual, with everyone from teachers and lawyers to bikers and strippers begging for a tattoo from the best shop in the south.

“Damn, maybe Callan needs to expand,” said Tailor.

“We talked about it a few days ago,” said Matthew. “He’s running out of room for an additional tattoo artist and needs one desperately. I’m thinking we’ll bump out the south wall and add some much-needed space for him.”

“It’s a good idea, Pops,” said Alec. “Let us know how we can help. What about the businesses? Gwen’s shop, the salon and spa, the bike shop, the café. Are they all experiencing growth?”

“Yep,” he nodded. “Gwen’s place is easy. We can build a third floor. The spa doesn’t want to expand right now. Keegan, Winter, and Ramey want to keep it exclusive and difficult to get into. It allows them to increase their prices and use some pretty high-end products. I say good for them.”

“I agree,” smiled Gaspar. “And the bike shop and café?”

“Bike shop, we need to make a standalone building. In fact, if we did that, we could use the space for Callan and kill two birds with one stone. The café, well, that could be triple the size. But then it’s not a café, it’s a restaurant.”

“Well, we’re behind whatever you decide to do, Pops,” said Miller. “You’ve been the genius behind all these businesses. We’ll follow you.”

“Hello! Is anyone here?” called a voice. Ghost stood and walked to the front of the office. He was about to say that they were closed when he recognized the familiar face.

“Nell! What are you doing here? I mean, you’re always welcome here, but is everything okay?” Nine and Ian walked out to see the young woman, concerned that there was a problem.

“No. No, I mean, I don’t think anything is wrong. I tried calling Sor, but he didn’t answer. I wondered if he was here.”

“No, hun. He’s out on a job. Are you sure you’re okay?” asked Ian.

“I think so. It’s just that I’ve been catching sight of someone in the field just before the private driveway. I don’t think they’re coming up the drive, but still, it feels odd.”

“That does feel odd,” said Ian. “We’ll have the team check all the cameras and be sure everything is okay. Any signs of someone tampering with the locks, taking things from the property?”

“No. Nothing like that. At least, I don’t think so. I’m sorry, this is silly. I’m being silly, aren’t I?”

“You’re not being silly. You’re being cautious, and that’s smart. This is why we wanted you to take a cottage here. If you’re closer to us, we can be sure that you’re safe all the time.”

---