Sinclair Summer

by Beth Bowland

The park had become even more crowded. Everyone musta invited everyone they could think of. People from all walks of life were here. It was now midafternoon, so everything was in full swing. There were guys behind the tennis courts setting up fireworks. That entire area was roped off. Several families had already set out blankets and chairs, claiming their spots on the grass. On the basketball courts, a local band played what I’d call smooth jazz.

  I wanted a funnel cake, but everyone else headed toward the roasted turkey leg vendor. As I waited my turn in line, I could see Kiara yakking a mile a minute. I was sure that she was catching Porsche up on everything that had been happening. Farkas looked like a caveman as he tore into his turkey leg.

  “Wassup, Kat woman?” Andre startled me as he walked up beside me.

  “Nothing. Just wondering what Maxwell’s up to.”

  “Yeah, I’ve been trying to follow him. The last I saw, he was talking to the Rosenthals.”

  Andre ordered a funnel cake too, then he grabbed both our cakes from the vendor, and we walked over to a table to get some napkins.

  I took a quick bite of my cake and powdered sugar swooshed up in my face.

  Andre started laughing as he tried to wipe some of it off.

  So embarrassing.

  He smiled. “Don’t worry. You’re still cute.”

  “Andre,” Porsche said as she walked over to us. “I’m glad you’re here. Come over so I can catch you up on everything.” She took Andre by the hand and walked him over to where everyone else was sitting.

  I remained where I was.

  Andre looked back. “Come on, Kat.”

  How could I resist that invitation?

  We all found a place to sit around a big oak tree. A couple of kids came by pulling a wagon filled with bottled water.

  “Hey, kid, how much for the water?” Farkas asked.

  The kids pulled the wagon in our direction. “It’s free, compliments of the Homeowners Association.” A freckle-faced kid handed us each a bottle.

  “Sweet,” Chu responded.

  We all sat and people-watched for a while as we finished our food. Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez walked by, and behind them, Mom and Dr. Jackson strolled hand-in-hand. I pretended not to notice them.

  “Oh, look, Andre, there’s your dad with Ms. Hollister,” Porsche said. “They look so cute together. Don’t you think, Kat?”

  Sheesh! Why was she always talking to me? I didn’t respond.

  “So, what do you think Maxwell’s doing now?” Chu asked.

  I was thankful for the topic change.

  “Let’s go see.” Andre stood up and tossed his trash in a nearby trash can.

  As we walked over to Maxwell’s house, there was an odd sort of stillness to the air. A flock of birds flew in the opposite direction. Animals almost always sense danger before humans. I had a bad feeling we were headed for something awful. Chu’s words kept ringing in my head.

  The alleyway was completely empty. Everyone had gone to the park. A loud clatter came from Maxwell’s backyard; there was a black van with dark-tinted windows parked near the gate.

  “That’s the van the suits were driving earlier,” Chu said.

  We knelt behind the thick shrubbery behind our house.

  Some type of commotion was going on inside the van, muffled voices or something. My stomach was in knots. Maxwell appeared from his backyard. He stopped and looked up and down the alleyway before heading toward the rear of the van. He knocked twice on the van door. When the door opened, two burly men dressed in black suits climbed out.

  The two men had Veronica tied up, her mouth gagged.

  “Oh my god!” Ivelisse started to yell, but Andre quickly covered her mouth.

  Mr. Maxwell ran his hand through his hair. “What’d you bring her here for? This wasn’t the plan.”

  “There are cops on each end of the alleyway. She’ll have to stay here for now. We’ll move her once the band starts playing again,” said thick-necked Goon Number One.

  Three other men climbed out from the back of the van. Mr. Maxwell helped them take her inside his house. Once they were gone from sight, we booked out of there. My chest pounded against my rib cage so hard I thought it would explode. When we reached the park, we began looking for any of our parents. Then we found someone better. Mr. Keith was headed toward the alley, so we flagged him down.

  “Mr. Keith, Veronica’s in trouble,” Chu said.

  Mr. Keith frowned. “What do you mean, ‘trouble’?”

  Farkas tugged on his arm. “Come this way. That Maxwell dude just kidnapped her.”

  “I’ll go get one of the cops,” Andre said.

  Mr. Keith grabbed Andre’s arm. “No. Take me to where you saw them. I’m sure it’s just a big misunderstanding.”

  We headed over to Maxwell’s house with Mr. Keith in tow. We stopped once we reached the gate.

  “They took her inside,” Ivelisse said.

  We huddled closer together.

  Mr. Keith looked around. “Come with me.” He ran his hand across his forehead. “I’m sure it’s not what you think.”

  We glanced around at each other, not sure what to do.

  “It’s okay, kids, come on. So we can get this cleared up.”

  I followed him up to the back door, the others right behind me.

  “Saturn,” Mr. Keith yelled.

  Mr. Maxwell opened the door, looking like he’d been in a fight. His hair was disheveled, his face was flushed, and his jacket was ripped.

  Mr. Maxwell looked at us, then at Mr. Keith. His mouth twitched nervously.

  “May we come in?” Mr. Keith asked. “The children believe Veronica’s here.”

  Mr. Keith ushered us inside. The moment my foot was through the door, I knew this was a bad idea. We were in big trouble.

  Mr. Keith closed and locked the door behind us.

  Chapter 22

  TRAPPED.

  Mr. Keith remained behind us, Mr. Maxwell stood in front, and the Goons flanked the sides.

  Kiara reached over and grabbed my hand. I squeezed it, hoping she wouldn’t panic. But knowing Kiara, if we weren’t out of here in the next few minutes, she would spaz out. I reached over and grabbed Chu’s hand. Ivelisse moved closer to Farkas, as Porsche reached out for Andre.

  “Hello, children,” Mr. Maxwell said. His face contorted as he spoke, and he looked even crazier than usual. I thought I heard an evil mad scientist laugh along with the sound of menacing thunder in background. “What are you juvenile delinquents up to now?”

  Mr. Keith started laughing. “The children have some crazy notion that you’ve kidnapped Veronica.”

  “Oh, really now?” Mr. Maxwell said. Even the Goons were smiling.

  I turned around. “Mr. Keith, we saw these guys take Veronica in the house tied up and gagged.”

  Mr. Maxwell raised his hand. “I stand before you heartbroken that you would accuse me of such malice.”

  Chu eased back toward the door. “Dude, we were wrong. Our bad. See ya later at the party. Peace out.”

  Chu tried to go around Mr. Keith, who took a step forward and shoved him back toward us.

  “Get over there and shut up,” Mr. Keith said.

  I leaned over to Chu. “I can’t believe you were getting ready to leave us.”

  “I was gonna get help,” he whispered back.

  “Yeah, sure you were.”

  “Shut your trap!” the Mohawk-wearing Goon said.

  Ivelisse hugged Farkas tighter. “Why are you doing this?” she asked.

  “You kids will be insurance for our plan,” Mr. Maxwell said.

  Kiara started crying. Panic mode meltdown in five…four…three…two…

  “Let me out of here!” Kiara screamed and went charging toward Mr. Keith.

  One of the Goons scooped her up in his arms.

  “Get your grubby paws off of my sister,” I yelled as I charged the Goon and started yanking on his arms and kicking him in the leg. Then they closed in on us as another G
oon held me from behind so I couldn’t move my arms.

  “Keep your mouths shut. Listen to what we tell you, and no one will be hurt,” Mr. Maxwell said. He motioned to the Goons. “Take them to the basement.”

  “The basement?” Farkas said, his eyes wide.

  Chu pointed toward one of the Goons. “Dude, has anyone ever told you that you could be an exact human replica of Buzz Lightyear?”

  The man’s forehead crinkled in confusion as his lips moved, “Who’s that?”

  Chu gasped and stopped in the doorway to the basement. “Seriously? You’ve never seen Toy Story? One word, my friend—Netflix.”

  “Hey,” Mr. Maxwell yelled. “Don’t make conversation with the urchin!”

  We were being herded like cattle down the stairs. The Goon released me, and the other put down Kiara. As soon as she could move, she clung on to me and had death grip on my shirt.

  Ivelisse gasped.

  The bright fluorescent lights momentarily blinded me, but once my eyes were adjusted I couldn’t believe what I saw. We’d been transported into a fantasyland. The giant mushrooms, even larger than what we’d seen, grew in pots along the walls. On the tables were tomatoes the size of basketballs and sunflowers that looked like umbrellas. What I thought were cucumbers were actually giant green beans. Leaning against a wall was one of the boxes that we’d seen them carry in. They were not coffins, but huge, stainless steel tubs that held a lot of the plants.

  Incredible.

  “What’s up with the super-size-me veggies?” Chu asked.

  Mr. Keith shoved us forward. “Quick, get them into the other room.”

  Chu’s question went unanswered. The room was dimly lit, but I could see someone huddled in the corner.

  Veronica.

  We rushed over to her. As she looked up at us, tears streamed down her face.

  “Why, Keith? Why?” she sobbed. “Why are you bringing them in on this? They’re only children. Let them go.”

  Mr. Keith never glanced in her direction.

  Huddling around Veronica, I started searching for a way out. From what I saw of the room, there were only two: the door and a darkened window covered with iron bars.

  The Goons left, followed by Mr. Keith.

  Mr. Maxwell stopped before leaving. “Don’t try anything. Remember your parents will be here. I would hate for any accidents to occur.”

  He placed his finger up to his lip and made a shushing sound, then instructed one of the Goons to lock and guard the door.

  Farkas wheezed as Kiara and Porsche started crying. Andre put his arms around Porsche. She was so the drama queen. I just stared at everyone.

  “Oh, for the love…” I said. “We gotta keep it together.” I knelt down beside Veronica. “Please, tell us what’s going on.”

  Veronica wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Keep your voices down.”

  We huddled closer.

  “Why’d they kidnap you?” I asked.

  Kiara released my shirt with her left hand, then re-gripped it with her right.

  Veronica reached up and rubbed her temples. “Not exactly sure.” She pushed her hair back. “Keith’s been acting really strange, and it all began after he and Saturn started hanging out together. Saturn became his constant companion. If he wasn’t at our house, then Keith was over at his, or else they’d talk on the phone.”

  “What were they talking about?” I asked.

  “Not sure. He’d only say they were working on something.”

  “It stinks down here,” Chu said.

  I agreed. The basement had a foul odor, like cow poop. “Go on, Veronica.”

  She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. “It wasn’t so bad when Saturn first started coming around. His wife would be with him, and I thought she seemed really nice. But then Saturn said she’d gone to visit her ill mother and he wasn’t sure when she’d return. Saturn kept asking when Keith and I were gonna marry, so then Keith began pressuring me. I told him we weren’t ready for marriage—we needed counseling. That’s when Keith’s behavior changed toward me.”

  “Changed how?” Andre asked.

  “My mother is going to kill me,” Porsche whined.

  “Oh, shut up!” The words came from my mouth a lot louder than I anticipated, and I was immediately hushed.

  Porsche hung her head and pouted. Even Andre seemed annoyed. It was about time he realized what a whiney butt she was.

  “One day, after walking Twinkles, I caught Keith going through my personal drawers. He said he’d lost some important papers and thought maybe I had them. But that’s impossible because we keep our personal papers separate, and there’s no way I’d put something of his in my drawer. He picked fights with me about any little thing. Saying I forgot to bring the dog back in. I left the front door unlocked. He even said I was drinking.”

  We all looked at each other uneasily. We’d all heard about her drinking problem.

  Veronica continued. “The truth is, kids, I know Keith tells everyone I drink, but I don’t. My allergy medicine made me loopy. I thought I was going crazy. But now things are clearer.”

  “The Grim Reaper was Maxwell,” I added.

  “Yes, and Keith started telling everyone I was crazy and that he should handle my finances. I wouldn’t sign the power of attorney allowing him to do that, so that angered him even more.”

  “So they kidnapped you to get your money?” Ivelisse asked.

  “Makes perfect sense…but why is Mr. Keith after your money?” Andre said. “And how does Mr. Maxwell tie into this?”

  Chu cleared his throat. “Uh, hello? Forget about the money. What about the Willie Wonka garden in there?”

  There were footsteps above us.

  “I hear voices.” I got up, tiptoed to the door, and listened.

  Ivelisse went over to the far wall. She eased back over to where we were. “There’s a vent over there. We can listen in.”

  I scooted silently over to the other wall and hunched down.

  I heard someone knocking on the door. I turned around, and it was Porsche.

  “No!” Veronica yelled.

  A loud clunk told me someone just unlocked the door. I watched in silence as the doorknob turned.

  Chapter 23

  MR. MOHAWK POKED HIS HEAD in and looked around.

  “Uh, sir,” Porsche began, her voice shaky, “may I use the ladies room, please?”

  “No one leaves this room. One more sound from you runts…” Mohawk snarled and mocked cutting his throat before leaving, locking the door behind him.

  Porsche huffed and kicked her feet. “So rude!”

  “Listen.” Andre leaned closer to the vent and opened it wider. “I think I hear my dad’s voice.”

  Once we were all quiet, you could hear Dr. Jackson just as clear as day. I wondered if my mom was upstairs as well. Several sets of footsteps thudded on the wood floors above.

  “I’m so happy all of you are here,” Mr. Maxwell said.

  “Haven, have you seen the kids?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.

  “No, I looked for them on the way over and didn’t see them.”

  “Well, uh,” Mr. Keith interrupted, “actually, I saw them all, and they were headed over toward the games. They told me to tell you they’d be here soon.”

  “How’s Veronica feeling?” Mom asked.

  “Unfortunately, she decided to she’d spend the rest of the weekend with her sister,” Mr. Keith answered.

  “Sister? I thought Ronni was an only child,” Mom said.

  “So did I,” Mrs. Sanchez added.

  We looked at Veronica.

  “I don’t have any siblings,” she said.

  There was a pause before Mr. Keith spoke. “No, uh, actually she has a sister in Florida. She was able to catch a last-minute flight this afternoon.”

  “Really? She just didn’t seem well enough to fly anywhere,” Mom said.

  Silence.

  “Maybe we should all just start screaming,
” Porsche suggested.

  Veronica flapped her hands. “No! These men are very dangerous. They’re looking for a reason to hurt someone.”

  “How’s your wife, Saturn?” Mrs. Sanchez asked. “I’ve not seen her in a while. Veronica mentioned that she went to visit her mother.”

  “Her mother is not faring well, so it will be a while before Kim returns home.”

  The doorbell rang. Another set of footsteps clacked over toward the others.

  “Good evening, everyone.” It was Chu’s parents. “Mrs. Istvan, is Chuong at your house?”

  “No. I haven’t seen him since earlier today, but Keith just told us they’re all playing games and will be here soon.”

  “Thank you for coming, Mr. and Mrs. Willene,” Mr. Maxwell said. “Chuong is such a fine young man. Oh, I was also expecting your mother to come over.”

  “Mother says she’s not feeling well and would be unable to attend the festivities,” Mrs. Willene answered.

  “Grandma Thuy’s never been sick a day in her life,” Chu whispered.

  “So, Maxwell. You gonna tell us why you’re having this special gathering?” Dr. Jackson asked.

  “I brought you here to announce a new business opportunity,” Mr. Maxwell said.

  “Oh, God, it’s not one of those pyramids jobbies, is it?” Mr. Sanchez asked.

  “No, no. Let me explain, friends. But, first, a toast. Keith, if you’ll pass out the champagne.”

  Glasses clinked faintly in the background.

  “I’d like to thank each of you for welcoming me into this fine community with open arms. I have a feeling this is the start of beautiful new friendships and maybe partnerships. Cheers!”

  “Cheers!” Our families’ voices rang out in unison.

  “Friends, I’ve invented something so revolutionary that’s it’s guaranteed to blow any competitors out of the water. Nothing can touch this new product.”

  “What is it?” Mr. Istvan said.

  “Did I mention that Keith is already on board as a partner?”

  “Here, here!” Mr. Keith said.

  “On board with what?” Dr. Jackson asked.

  “With a product so magnificent and profitable that it’s pure genius,” Mr. Maxwell blubbered on.

  “Yes, but what is it?” Mrs. Sanchez asked.