Double Fugue

by Aiden Vaughan

Bill and the boys got into his Explorer and first went to the delicatessen section of a large supermarket. They ordered up sandwiches and salads there, then picked out some cheeses. They went down the aisles selecting crackers, chips, and cookies. In the produce section they picked out some grapes and bananas. In the cooler area they then picked out a selection of drinks to bring. The store had a large dry goods section, with a large picnic items area. Jason picked out a large picnic basket for the food, and they also bought a cooler for the drinks. They picked out a set of six plastic plates and bowls, some boxes of heavy plastic forks, knives, and spoons, along with colorful napkins and matching tablecloth.

  “We will eat in style, with all of this good stuff,” Jason said. “And then the Molinaris will have a nice setup for future picnics.”

  “Very good selection, Son,” Bill said approvingly. “Now what is next?”

  The next stop was an athletic shoe store in a mall. Since Davey had made such a big deal about the flying chucks, the boys wanted to get him a new pair of black high tops to wear. Not sure of his size, they purchased a gift certificate that would cover the cost of a new pair. Then they went to a bicycle shop and looked at new racing bikes. They wanted to get Davey the latest and best touring bicycle. When they found the perfect model, they purchased a store gift certificate to cover its cost.

  They then went to a card shop, and picked out some nice thank you cards. “What are we going to get for Mr. Molinari?” Daniel asked.

  “I have a special gift in mind for him. Help me choose a really nice card.”

  Purchases in hand, Daniel, Jason and Bill returned to the Explorer. The next stop was Daniel’s house. When they got there, Daniel went inside to check on things, put his bag of clothing and personal things in his room, bring in the paper and the mail from yesterday, and get his bicycle from the garage.

  Bill went over to the security vehicle and talked to the man inside. He asked if anyone had visited the house at all. “No one today. There was a report that a policemen or sheriff came by last night. He looked around, but when he saw that no one was home, he took off.”

  When Bill told the boys about what the security guard said, Jason went ballistic. He stomped around, punching his right fist into his left hand, and said in a loud and angry voice, “That bastard Oliver Samuels had to be the cop! There he was trying to kidnap Daniel again!”

  Daniel grabbed Jason’s arms just below his shoulders and squeezed his biceps until Jason looked him in the eyes and relaxed a little bit. “It’s okay, Jason. Like you said earlier, I’ve made it through the field of snakes. Now that evil man is a fugitive and Lieutenant Garcia has issued a warrant for his arrest. I’ll take great pleasure in identifying his voice! I swear, Jason, you have turned into me after your kidnapping! I remember being this angry for what those lowlife punks did to you!”

  “Thanks for calming me down, Daniel. But you know that guy was the asshole who ordered you tied up, gagged, blindfolded and slugged with a club. Then he just abandoned you for hours, not caring about the suffering and dehydration you would have experienced if the Molinaris hadn’t come along! Later that night he cruised over to your house to repeat the process!”

  “It’s over, Jason. Let it rest! Let’s concentrate on having a good time with the Molinaris and thanking them for helping me when I really needed them!”

  “You are way too important to me to just let things lie. I want justice done!”

  “You really are worked up about this, Jason. Give me some knuckles and move on!” Jason touched knuckles with Daniel, but somehow Daniel knew that things were not settled yet with Jason. He had to smile internally as he thought how glad he was that Jason was on his side.

  When they arrived at Jason’s house, Jason and Daniel brought in their purchases. Jason and Edith worked on washing the new plastic dishes, cutting up the fruit, and loading up the picnic baskets with all of the food they bought. They filled the new cooler with drinks and covered them with ice. When all of the food was ready, Daniel and Jason then signed the cards for the gifts they were bringing, and put the cards in their mini packs. Daniel unloaded his bike from Bill’s SUV while Jason got his bike out of the garage. They carefully checked out both bikes for tire pressure, made sure the gears and brakes were working properly, and filled their water bottles. It was about 9:45 and time to leave for the meeting place at the park. So far there didn’t seem to be any reporters outside the house, so the boys could leave in a casual fashion.

  “Bye, Mom and Dad,” Jason exclaimed. “Dad, remember to wait until after 10 to deliver the basket and cooler to Mrs. Molinari. I really want everything to be a surprise to David and Davey.”

  “All right, Son. You can depend on me! Take care, Daniel. Enjoy your bike ride.”

  The boys mounted their bikes and were soon on the way to the meeting place at the local park. It was a beautiful day, and they both were looking forward to a day of fun and exercise, away from the spotlight. David and Davey Molinari arrived promptly at the park. By 10:05 the four of them were off on their bike ride to the park on Valley Road. It took them about 40 minutes to reach the edge of town. They decided to stop for a short break to stretch and have some water.

  “This is great,” Daniel said. “Perfect weather, light traffic, and no storms or cares to worry about.”

  “Yeah, I really like to go bike riding,” young Davey said. “It’s even more fun going with you guys!”

  They all mounted up again, and soon were pedaling through the now rural looking countryside. In twenty minutes they had reached Valley Road, and after another twenty-five minutes came to the first lookout. They decided to stop at the turnout and take a look at the Silicon Valley below. “This is such a great view,” David Molinari said. “I really like stopping here and seeing the valley. It has grown so much since I was a kid!”

  “There’s no place like the Bay Area,” Jason replied pointing out different landmarks. “I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else!” They were just about ten minutes away from the park and its picnic grounds. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting hungry. Let’s head out to the park!”

  When they arrived at the park, they quickly spotted Marie Molinari. She had set up a picnic table with the tablecloth and other serving items she had found in the basket. “This was a wonderful surprise, Jason and Daniel. How very thoughtful of you. And you picked out a great lunch so let’s get started!”

  Soon the sandwiches were passed around, and she served the salads and fruit on the plastic plates. David Molinari got drinks for everyone out of the cooler. The boys made quick work of their plates of food, and then munched on the chips and cheeses. Marie then passed around the cookies.

  When everyone was just about finished, Jason stood up and said: “Daniel and I are really pleased that we were able to get away from town and have this bike ride together. It was fun to do just for the pleasure of going on a nice bike ride, but we also wanted to thank you, Mr. Molinari, and of course Davey for helping Daniel out on Friday. You saved him from a horrible ordeal, and because of that Ethan Savage was rescued and his estate intended for charity will now actually go to charity instead of the coffers of the conspirators. Bravo, bravo!

  “We have a few things for you as a way of showing our thanks. First of all, the picnic basket, utensils, and the cooler are yours to keep, Mrs. Molinari. I hope that you will have many more happy occasions like this! Next, for young Davey, we have a couple of special gifts. Daniel, will you do the honors?”

  Daniel took two envelopes out of his mini pack. He handed the first one to Davey. Davey opened it and took out a card with an airplane on it. Inside was the store gift certificate for a new pair of black high top chucks. The card inscription read, “We want you to keep flying, Davey. Have a new pair of chucks on us.”

  “This is great, Daniel. You can see my old pair is wearing out, and they are getting too small for my feet. Thanks a lot!”

  “You’re welcome, Davey. Now open this card.” The card was from t
he bicycle shop and was a gift certificate for $350. “We want you to get the latest touring bike for your bike rides. We think you are ready for a step up!”

  “Wow, that is so cool of you guys!” Davey shouted with excitement. “I can’t wait to pick it out and go riding! Thank you, thank you!” He over to Jason and Daniel and gave each of them a quick hug.

  “And now for you, Mr. Molinari.” Jason handed him a card that he had stowed away in his mini pack. David opened the envelope and pulled out a card with a musical cover. The inscription inside read, “After the gift of life, there is nothing finer than the gift of music. Please use this check to continue your great work in our community.” Enclosed was a check for $5000 made out to the Honor Youth Orchestra from the Whatever Foundation.

  “I am overwhelmed,” David responded. “But how on earth did you come up with this much money?”

  “My Whatever Foundation has programs that supports arts instruction for teenagers. After hearing my friend Robert Fischer talk about how important the program was for him and other teenagers, I thought that this donation fit right in.” Jason then explained to David a little about how his foundation came into existence.

  “All Davey and I did was what any caring person would do,” Mr. Molinari said with some emotion. “We helped someone in trouble when we had the means to do so. Doing that was reward enough!”

  “I know, Mr. Molinari,” Jason replied. “But even though what you did was priceless, there is nothing that says I can’t show my gratitude. You saved my best friend from many more hours of torturous captivity if not worse things. Trust me when I say I know that there is nothing more gut wrenching than having to go through the ordeal of a kidnapping!”

  “Daniel told us what a special friend you were for him. Now I know what he meant!” David Molinari then shook Jason’s hand and gave him a little hug.

  Davey, Jason, and Daniel explored around the park after that. There were climbing bars, swings, chutes, and slides to try out. David and Marie sat at the picnic table watching the boys play. David put his arm around Marie. “Can you believe this?” he said looking at the card and check from Jason. “We need to go out and rescue more kids!”

  “David, you rescue kids every day that you work with them,” Marie said turning to look into his eyes. “I just think you don’t realize it sometimes!”

  By 1:30 PM, the van was loaded up with the remains of the lunch, and they had cleaned up their trash. David and the boys were ready to bicycle back home. The trip would be a lot shorter in time, because much of it was downhill. After saying their goodbyes to Marie, they headed out on Valley Road. Daniel took the lead, followed by Jason, Davey, and David. Everything was going very smoothly, and they were making good time.

  All of a sudden, Jason noticed something strange. A vehicle that had passed them a few minutes ago was now driving very slowly up ahead. He shouted out to Daniel, “Watch out for that car up ahead. Something doesn’t seem right about it!” As Daniel and the others began to catch up to it, the car suddenly veered into the shoulder, cutting off the space in front of them. “Watch out!” Jason yelled. “That driver is trying to hit you!”

  Daniel, upon hearing the first warning had downshifted, and with the second warning, he made a quick maneuver to the left and rode across the road away from the car. The driver, seeing that he had missed his opportunity quickly sped away, but not before scraping the side of his car on some of the siding on the road. When the road was clear again, Daniel rode back across and joined up with Jason, Daniel, and Davey who had braked to a stop.

  “That guy was deliberately trying to drive you off the road or injure you!” Jason exclaimed. “Did you get a look at him?”

  “Just that there was a single man in the car,” Daniel shouted back. “I was too busy trying to get out of the way!”

  “The only person I could think of who would want to do that is the station chief, Oliver Samuels, the man responsible for your captivity!” Jason continued. “But why would he take such a brazen chance in broad daylight with witnesses?”

  “Probably because he is desperate and I am the reason he is a fugitive now!” Daniel answered.

  “I wish I had the license plate, or some better ID for that vehicle,” Jason said with frustration in his voice.

  “I know the license plate number. It is 7Z61033.” Davey said.

  “How do you know that for sure?” Jason inquired.

  “We learned in school that if there was an accident or some trouble with a car to always try and get the license plate number. So when you started shouting about it, I made a point of looking at it,” Davey replied.

  “I told you we should have pinned a medal on Davey!” Jason got out his cell phone and called Lieutenant Garcia. When Garcia answered, Jason said, “Have you found Oliver Samuels yet?” When Garcia answered no, Jason continued. “I think he just tried to run Daniel off the road. We are bicycling on Valley Road. The car that tried to take out Daniel is a grey sedan with California license plate number 7Z61033. It is heading northwest on Valley Road. Maybe you can cut him off at the bottom of the hills!”

  “Thanks for the lead, Jason. I’ll check it out and put in a call to the Highway Patrol.”

  About fifteen minutes later, when Daniel and the others arrived at the end of Valley Road, they saw lights flashing, and several law enforcement vehicles surrounding the grey sedan. They pulled up to see what was going on. The driver of the sedan was loudly protesting his arrest as he was being led away to a Silicon Valley Police vehicle.

  Daniel had a big smile on his face. “That sound is music to my ears! That’s the voice I heard when those rogue deputies brought me to the farmhouse and later at the sheriff’s substation in San Mathias. Now the case is complete. I can’t wait to testify against that man!”

  They boys pulled up to one of the highway patrol officers at the edge of the arrest scene. “Was that man you just arrested named Oliver Samuels?” Daniel asked.

  “I believe so,” the patrolman answered. “Do you know him?”

  “We have never been formally introduced, but believe me, I know him. You can add attempted hit and run to the charges against him.” They talked to the officer for a few more minutes before continuing home on their bikes. About thirty-five minutes later, they arrived at the house where David and Davey lived.

  “Jason and Daniel, we have had a wonderful time riding with you today,” David said shaking their hands. “Thank you again for your generous gifts. You two are very fine young men!”

  Davey then said, “I really like you guys, also. Do you think I could become part of your detective team?”

  “Well maybe when you are a little older, Davey,” Jason said with a smile on face. “You know that the work isn’t all fun and games. Sometimes you can get into serious trouble, like what happened to Daniel!”

  “Yeah, but if I worked with you guys, I would be there for him when he needed rescuing!”

  They all laughed at that. Then David said, “Davey, what have your forgotten to say?”

  “Oh yeah, my manners, I know. Thank you again for the bike gift certificate. Bike riding is one of my most favorite things to do! And thank you for the new pair of black high top chucks. You know, Mom told me that she was going to buy me a new pair of sneakers for school this week. Maybe I’ll talk her into getting a pair of red high tops also, so I can be like you too, Jason.”

  “Davey, you don’t have to be like me or Jason,” Daniel replied. “You are plenty cool just being yourself! Don’t change a thing!”

  “In that case, I want some knuckles, bros!”

  “You’ve got it, little buddy!” Jason said holding out his hand. “We’ll see you at the concert on Friday. Goodbye for now!”

  After Daniel gave Davey a shot of knuckles, he and Jason rode off to Daniel’s house.

  Ten minutes later, Jason and Daniel arrived at Daniel’s house. “Are you ready to deal with your parents, Daniel?”

  “I think so. I don’t think it was anyone�
�s intention to have a family crisis.”

  “I sure hope you are right, Daniel. Remember that my parents and I are here for you if you need us. Give me a call later and let me know how things went. And let’s get together and do some games or hoops this week. Maybe we will be allowed to have a simple day this week for a change!”

  WHO SHOULD BE GROUNDING WHOM?

  (Sunday and Monday)

  Daniel saw that the garage door was open and his dad’s car was parked there. He put his bike on its stand and then walked into the house through the connecting door. “I’m home, Mom and Dad,” he yelled.

  “We’re in the living room,” Gary called back.

  When Daniel walked into the living room, his mom Melinda was already up. “Daniel, I’m so glad to see you!” she exclaimed and held him in a long embrace. “We’ve missed you so much. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine, Mom, Dad…” as he started to answer Gary also came over and put his arms around him. “Wow, what a reception!”

  “Daniel, you have been all over the news, and everyone is saying how brave and smart you were,” Melinda exclaimed.

  “I have been trying to tell you all of this stuff that has happened to me. I can’t believe some of it myself.”

  “Son, we are so sorry that we undertook this business obligation that we had to keep secret from you.” Gary said. “We now realize how much tension that caused between us, and how hurt you must have felt being excluded from a part of our lives.”

  “We had always been so open before, Dad,” Daniel responded. “It did hurt to walk into a room and feel that you didn’t want me know what you were doing or talking about!”

  “Your father and I have decided that we will never do anything like that again. It’s not worth it if it ruins our family relations,” Melinda said.

  “Well that’s a relief to hear. I was really starting to get upset about being excluded from things, and then the most incredible experience in my life happened to me, and you guys weren’t around, or even available to talk to on the telephone about it. Luckily Jason and his parents were here for me!”