“My next presentation is to a special man, Dr. Louis Agoura,” Eric continued. “After all of the traumatic events I had to face, I really needed a counselor to help me sort through all of the conflicting emotions and thoughts going through my head. Dr. Agoura was always very patient with me, and never pushy or prying when things were difficult to talk about. But somehow he always managed to get me to open up, express my feelings and self doubts, and then helped me work things out. The fact that I have the strength to stand up in front an audience and talk about this is a tribute to what he did for me. Dr. Agoura, I want you to have this. I bet you can’t guess what it is!”
He handed Dr. Agoura an identical package to the one just presented to Joe. This time the inscription on the photo read, “To my friend and counselor, Dr. Louis Agoura. Thank you for helping me to find my way! Your friend, Eric.”
Again everyone cheered and applauded. Dr. Agoura got up and came around the table and gave Eric a big hug. “I always wanted to do that at our sessions, but it wasn’t appropriate to our doctor patient relationship. Now we are outside the office. Eric, I wish you all of the best. You are a really neat person!”
“Wow,” Eric said with some emotion in his voice, “You all have been so nice to me. I hope I can get through this!”
“You are doing fine, Eric,” Louis replied. “Just keep swimming to shore like we talked about!”
Eric took a few seconds to walk around, compose himself, and gather his thoughts again. Then he continued, “My next presentation goes to someone with a great artistic gift. If it wasn’t for his ability to play the guitar and sing, who knows what would have happened to me! When Daniel Holmes took out his guitar and performed ‘Shenandoah’ back at my house in Springdale, the barrier between me and the rest of the world started to shrink. His music was the first soothing thing that really touched me after a horrible weekend of abuse by my stepfather. And now he has become one of my best friends, both musically and personally. Daniel, you have a lot of heart and soul. I want you to have this!”
Eric took out a small package and handed it to Daniel. Inside it was the latest digital mp3 music player. The card that went with it read, “Someday, I hope you will be able to listen to your own music on this player. Your friend and fellow musician, Eric.”
“This is terrific, Eric!” Daniel responded. “What a thoughtful gift. I hope you will record some music with me someday to put on this player!”
When the applause for Daniel died down, Marilyn and Jorge stood up. “Before you make your last presentation, Eric, Jorge and I have a special thank you to the entire Hunter family. You have been such special neighbors to us. Since we came knocking on your door that fateful Monday night, you have been so gracious and helpful to our family. You allowed Jason to do whatever he needed to do to help Eric. I know you had reservations about him taking on such a responsibility, as any concerned parent would. But you put those concerns aside to help your neighbors. We are so grateful to you for doing that. Thank you Bill Hunter and thank you Edith Hunter!” Marilyn went over and gave each of them a hug, and Jorge shook their hands. “And thank you Melinda and Gary Holmes for letting Daniel accompany Jason. You know that together they are a fabulous team!” Marilyn and Jorge then went over and gave them hugs and handshakes also.
Eric then stood up for one more presentation. “I guess you can figure out who my last presentation is for. Jason, you are the most amazing person I have ever met! Without you I would still be an abused and suffering kid in Springdale trying to get my head on straight. Since the day you came into my life, everything has gradually turned around for the better. You weren’t content to just intervene and talk to me, but you set up an entire program of assistance through your Whatever Foundation and paid for everything. You started by helping me get cleaned up and groomed after I had been brutally attacked by my stepfather. You went out and purchased new clothes for me, arranged for medical care and counseling, set me up with music lessons and a new bass, and encouraged me to be involved in sports again. Most importantly you have been a true friend to me. I don’t know what you saw in me that day to bring on this generosity and support. I do know that I will never forget what you did for me! Please accept this token of my appreciation for all you have done for me!”
Eric took out another small package and handed it to Jason. When Jason opened the package, inside he found the latest smart cell phone with personal data organizer, camera, and Internet access. The card read, “Jason, there is no other way to say it except that you are the best! I hope this helps you plan out all of the great things you do for people. And please continue to schedule in some time for me! Your friend, Eric.”
After Jason read the card, everyone gave him a standing ovation. Finally, Jason put up his hands and said, “Please sit down again! Thank you for your applause. The pleasure has been all mine! I opened some doors, but Eric is the main reason for his own success! Now he is a great friend and addition to our neighborhood!”
Marilyn and Jorge got up one more time. “We have one more gift. I will let Jorge do the honors this time!”
“Since I have gotten to know Eric, I have grown to love him like one of my own sons. One of the things that we agreed to do was fix up my son Michael’s old bicycle so that he could get around better. When I mentioned this to the guys at work and told them a little about Eric’s background, they said to me, ‘Don’t give this kid an old fixer-upper. He’s had enough hand me downs and second-rate stuff in his life. Get him a new bicycle.’ They then took up a collection and with that and some of the money we have been saving because of Jason’s foundation covering so much of Eric’s expenses, I went out and got him this.” Jorge walked over to the side door of the garage and brought out a brand new bicycle. “Here you go, Eric. Enjoy riding this beauty around town!”
Eric went over to his uncle and gave him a hug. “Thank you, Uncle Jorge. I am so lucky to have you and Aunt Marilyn in my life now!”
Everyone applauded one more time. Then Jason stood up and held up his hands for quiet. “Don’t go away just yet. There is still one more presentation tonight. This evening you again have seen what a loyal, considerate, and caring person Eric is. Of all the people I have met in my life, I can’t think of anyone who has had to go through such a tumultuous and tragic past couple of years yet has rebounded so quickly. Despite all of the good company and thoughts expressed here tonight, I know that Eric still feels the hurt inside of losing both of his parents. Knowing that, I felt that somehow there should be a legacy for Eric that they would have wanted for him. So I want you to have this, Eric.”
Jason handed Eric a sealed #10 business envelope and said: “You lost your parents but you haven’t lost your way. I can’t think of anyone more worthy to have this than you, Eric.”
Eric opened the envelope. Inside was a letter awarding him a college fund of $160,000 set up in the names of Francisco and Anna Acosta that would allow him to attend any college or university of his choice.
“Here is your ticket to the future, Eric,” Jason said with a big smile on his face and pride in his voice. “I know that your parents would have worked very hard to provide a college education for you if they were still with us. Now their dream for you is a reality. All you have to do now is complete your schoolwork and keep up your grades like you have been doing so far. You still have to get accepted into that college or university. You just don’t have to worry about how to pay for your education any more!”
Eric jumped for joy and then he gave Jason a big hug of thanks. “Can my life get any better? Are you sure your name isn’t Santa Claus?”
Jason laughed and said, “Congratulations, Eric. I’ve been happy to provide for you what I can. But as far as your life getting any better, maybe you should ask Rebecca that question!”
Marilyn Ferreira then announced in a loud voice. “We have no more speeches, but how about some chocolate cake and ice cream?” Soon everyone was having some dessert and the party went on for another couple of hours befo
re people began to leave.
* * * * *
Things were starting to return to normal for Jason Hunter and Daniel Holmes after their summer of incredible adventures. School was just about to start up again. Jason was very pleased with the outcome of the first case taken on by the Whatever Foundation. But the die had been cast for Jason and Daniel, and soon events would bring back the detective team of Hunter & Holmes to work on a new mystery.
While the characters and situations in the Hunter & Holmes Mysteries are fiction, the issue of child abuse is very real in our society. Abuse is the number one crime committed against teenagers, and in almost all of the cases, it comes from within their own world of family and friends.
Predators exist everywhere. During the writing of this novel, a couple of shocking stories were in the news, every bit as disturbing as the fictional actions of Rogelio Fernandez. Information was released about a predator in Missouri who kidnapped a thirteen-year-old boy and held him captive at his house for several years. The boy was kept tied up and gagged while the man would go to work, and was forced to do unspeakable things on a daily basis. To save his own life when his kidnapper decided he was a liability and had his eye on another victim, the boy had to beg his kidnapper to let him participate in even more abusive and degrading activities.
Kyle R., a sixteen-year-old boy, was held in captivity for a year and a half. Kyle was constantly denied food and clothing, burned with cigarettes, forced to sleep in a fireplace, and was kept chained by his ankles much of the time. He was belittled continually and even had to listen to his captors making plans for how they would kill him. He was almost strangled one time and received severe burns when the gas burners in the fireplace where he had to sleep were turned on deliberately while he was lying in it. Kyle finally escaped from the house where he had been held and stumbled into a nearby local business, battered, half starving and wearing chains on his bloodied ankles. He curled up into a fetal position and begged for protection. The boy was covered in cuts, burns, feces and urine, was shrunken in size, barely able to speak, and only had a pair of gym shorts on. The most appalling thing about this story was that Kyle was turned into a torture object by his legal guardian and her two housemates, a married couple with four other children!
One of the messages of this book is that people need to be more proactive about reporting abuse when they hear about it. No matter what your age is, you shouldn’t turn a blind eye to it whenever you see signs of it. It’s not something that should be a family secret, ignored or covered up. This is not acceptable in society any more! Teenagers should be especially vigilant in this regard; they often are aware of abuse in a sibling, relative, or friend’s life way before an adult finds out. Just like Jason and Eric learned, you have to fight back however you can and you can’t do it just by yourself.
People also need to understand how traumatic and humiliating abusive experiences are to the victims. In our fictional story, Eric was very fortunate because he had friends his age intervene and support him, received good counseling from adults, and had a loving aunt and uncle to stay with. Many real victims don’t get this kind of support, and spend years recovering from their ordeals. It took the boy in Missouri years to deal with what he went through before he could begin to talk about it openly.
On a positive note, there was a story that came out during the writing of this book about a young man who had been an abuse victim when he was a boy. Like so many others, it took him many years to cope with it; the stigma of abuse is especially difficult for a boy. Now that young man is going around and telling his story to teenagers in school assemblies and in front of community organizations. His message: don’t be afraid to reach out and let others know if you are a victim of abuse. Only then can you truly start the healing process.
Readers of this story are reminded of the importance of sports and the arts in kids’ lives. These are important team-building activities that keep kids mentally and physically alert, build up self-discipline and pride, and demonstrate the power of group interaction. They can be a powerful healing force for kids who have been victimized or suffered the loss of a loved one. Double Fugue pays tribute to some of our most important role models, our Olympic athletes and world class musicians who continually inspire us with their excellence.
Please join us again for the next Hunter & Holmes mystery, When The Chips Are Down. You can check their website at hunterandholmes.com for the latest information about the series.
— Aiden Vaughan
APPENDIX
Double Fugue Page 27