It was a perfect summer day, sunny and clear, but not too hot. The four friends met at Diana’s house around 9:30 in the morning. Her mother ran a catering business so there was always wonderful fresh food and baked goods at their house. Diana had put together sandwiches, carrot and celery sticks, made fresh lemonade and an assortment of cookies. They divided their picnic lunch into four portions, loaded it into their backpacks, and made sure that their water bottles were full. The bike ride to the park took about ninety minutes. The four teenagers arrived at the park entrance just after 11:30 and then scouted around for a picnic table. Since it was the middle of the week, the park was not crowded at all, and they soon found a nice table to use in a shady grove.
They dismounted from their bicycles and took off their backpacks. They drank some water, and then Diana and Laura got busy setting up the picnic table. Diana had packed a small tablecloth and some clear plastic glasses. Laura helped her unfold the tablecloth and put it on the picnic table. She made a display of the cut vegetables in two of the glasses. Laura poured glasses of lemonade in the remaining cups. The girl unpacked the rest of the food from everyone’s backpacks. Soon everything was ready. While this was going on, Jason and Daniel were watching from nearby with smiles on their faces.
“This is the life, Daniel!” Jason exclaimed. “Enjoying the beautiful summer weather with our girls, soaking up some sun and exercise, and then having a nice lunch.”
“Yeah, it’s a tough life,” Daniel replied, “but someone has to do it!”
Laura and Diana called the two boys over to the table for lunch. As they went to sit down, Daniel gave Diana a quick kiss. “This is fabulous, Diana! You can cater all of my events!”
“I don’t know about that, Daniel,” Diana replied with a smile. “Can you afford my high prices?”
“I think I’ll work extra hard to get enough money,” Daniel said laughing. “Maybe I can borrow some from Jason’s foundation if necessary.”
“I don’t know if this qualifies under the rules for financial assistance,” Jason said after taking a bite out of his sandwich, “but it sure qualifies under the rules for good eating!”
“Maybe instead of having Diana and myself give away pairs of chucks to needy kids, we could give them some of Diana’s cookies!” Laura added. “These ginger snaps are delicious!”
The four friends continued eating their lunches while joking and having light conversation. Then Jason mentioned that Nick had just moved into their neighborhood yesterday.
“His mom, Caterina, found them a very nice house just two blocks away,” Jason said. “That kid not only has a bed room but he also has a music room, and of course the big grand piano downstairs.”
“Yeah, it’s a great set up,” Daniel added with some enthusiasm. “Already he is starting to come up with great musical ideas and arrangements for the band. I can’t wait to see what he will come up with now. I am so happy that he is able to be in the band!”
“He really seems to be recovering well from his experiences with, how can I put it, the less desirable members of his family,” Jason continued. “Nick has so much enthusiasm and energy now! The risks to get him back were really worth it!”
Unfortunately, that reminded Laura about the Hunter & Holmes detective cases, and how much it made her uncomfortable and worried when Jason was involved with one. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about detective work today!” she said with a little edge to her voice. “You know how I feel about the dangers you put yourself into!”
“Sorry, Laura,” Jason said with a little chagrin. “I didn’t realize talking about Nick was a sore subject with you.”
“It’s not Nick,” Laura replied. “It’s the thought of you putting yourself in harm’s way again after all you have been through already! I wish you would just give up the idea of being a detective all together!”
“Here we go again!” Jason answered shrugging his shoulders. “You know that Daniel and I don’t exactly have a sign above our doors that says ‘Hunter & Holmes, Teenaged Detectives for Hire.’ Somehow things just keep happening that get us involved!”
“Let’s not start this argument again!” Daniel interceded. “I thought we were here together to have a pleasant time — you know, no cares, no worries!”
“Daniel’s right,” Diana added. “We are here to have a good time. Let’s walk around the park for a little while.”
But Jason had to finish with Laura. Looking into her eyes, he said, “After Nick’s case was over, Daniel and I pledged to spend the rest of the summer relaxing and having a good time. And I thought we were doing that! But I don’t know what the future will bring. All I know is that I feel an obligation to continue to help people when I can. And I feel a strong obligation to you, Laura! You know I love you and would never want to do anything to hurt you!”
“All right, Jason,” Laura said. “I’m sorry I over-reacted. I guess this is an area where we will never be in total agreement! I sure hope that you will be able to continue just relaxing and having fun this summer. I have all kinds of great plans that involve the two of us!” Laura then took Jason’s hands and held them. Soon they were giving each other a makeup kiss.
After finishing and cleaning up the table, Daniel suggested that they look for a nice view spot where they could relax for while before they began their ride back home. The four friends walked around for a few minutes, and then spotted a beautiful shady grove of trees overlooking a small stream. The two couples paired off and sat down, each under a tree.
Soon they had their arms around each other, and were making out, kissing each other and making quiet affectionate talk.
“I enjoy being in the park with you,” Daniel whispered in Diana’s ear. “It was in a setting like this that we first declared our love for each other.”
“I know,” Diana replied in a dreamy voice. She gave him a series of little quick kisses. “That’s when we first understood that we were attracted to each other for love, not just for music.”
Daniel rubbed noses with Diana as he looked into her eyes. “Your eyes are so pretty, Diana. I could stare into them all afternoon!” They kissed again and held each other in a tight embrace.
“It feels so good when you hold me, Daniel. I love the warmth and energy you give me!” Diana said, luxuriating in the feeling of Daniel’s embrace.
Over at the other tree, Laura was snuggling with Jason. “I really worry about you sometimes, Jason,” Laura was saying in a soft, concerned voice.
“Why would you want to worry about me, Laura? Why can’t we just have fun and no cares when we are together?” Jason asked. “You know that I love being with you whenever I can. You are so pretty to look at, and are a great companion to be with. I love holding your hand, kissing you, and making out with you. Over the past year I have come to the realization that you are the girl for me! What is there to worry about?” He looked over into Laura’s eyes and could see that a tiny tear had formed in one of them.
“Laura, you know there are many things in my life I have to deal with. Maybe in the long run none of those other things are as important as being with you, but I still have to deal with them.”
“You know why I worry about you, Jason. You are always going off on these crazy adventures and putting yourself in real danger at times. I just can’t bear the thought of any more bad things happening to you!” She gave Jason a long, passionate kiss. “I want you to stay with me always so I know that you are safe!”
“The fact that you love and care for me so much is my inspiration, Laura!” Jason replied in an earnest whisper. “Can’t we just leave it at that for now?”
“Sometimes the thought of anything more happening to you just tears me up inside,” Laura continued. “I don’t know what I would do if you were taken away from me again!”
“Nothing is going to happen to me, Laura!” Jason replied. “I’m afraid you are going to be stuck with me for a long time — that is if you will have me! Stop worrying about things so much. Of cou
rse two lovers should worry about each other. That is an important part of any true relationship. But why focus on bad thoughts when we should be focusing on the joy of being together. Let’s think about our next pool party, or concert we can go to, or when we can be alone together again. It was things like that that brought us together in the first place!”
“Oh Jason, you always know how to comfort me,” Laura replied as she nuzzled up against him. “Every day I think you become more special to me! I love you so much I don’t know how to handle the powerful emotions that flow through my mind and body. But you are right. We should be concentrating on having fun.” Laura kissed Jason one more time and then began talking about her upcoming plans for the summer.
Jason relaxed at Laura’s side. He gazed into her eyes and smiled as she described a series of fun activities and get-togethers coming up in the next few weeks. Life was good when Laura was happy about things.
About fifteen minutes later, the four friends got up from under the trees and headed back to the picnic table. They put on their backpacks and were soon heading back home. When they arrived at Diana’s house, Daniel decided to stay there a while with Diana, while Jason and Laura biked over to her house. Laura invited Jason in for a quick swim before he needed to head back to his house. Yes, Jason thought again as they were riding their bikes to Laura’s house, life was good when Laura was happy about things.
Chapter 6
Sweet Sixteen
(Friday Evening)
One of the upcoming plans that Laura had for Jason wasn’t mentioned at all during their picnic conversation. That was because it was a special surprise birthday party for Jason that she and Jason’s parents were having for him at her house. Jason was turning sixteen, an important coming of age moment in every teenager’s life.
Looking back on Jason’s recent history, the past fourteen months would seem like five years for anyone else. It was just fourteen months ago, right after school had let out for the summer that Jason was kidnapped. That one horrible act had forever changed Jason’s life and had led to an amazing set of adventures as he and Daniel had become the Hunter & Holmes detective team to solve that crime and a number of others that came their way as a result of the two boys successfully solving Jason’s kidnapping. Additionally, due to the legacy of diamonds left to Jason by his great grandfather Winfield Hunter, Jason now had the means to help other teenaged crime victims and pursue predators through his Whatever Foundation. Jason was only fourteen when all of these life-changing experiences had begun, forcing him to grow up a lot faster than was normal for a young teenaged boy.
But all of those events were in the background today. By long standing agreement with his father, Jason was scheduled to take his driver’s test on his birthday. He had completed his driver’s education class at school last semester, and had taken the behind the wheel driving class. Whenever he had a chance, he practiced driving, both with his mother in her Toyota Prius, and with his father in his Ford Explorer. Another agreement that the Hunter family had was that Jason was to receive the keys to the Explorer when he passed his driving test. Bill Hunter was then going to get a new car, a luxury sedan that he could use to drive clients around if necessary, but mostly for himself and Jason’s mother Edith.
Like every teenager before him, getting his driver’s license was a big deal, one of the first major steps in the road to adulthood. As the time for his birthday and actual road test came closer, Jason became very serious about it. He studied the driving manual carefully to make sure he could pass the written test, and would know all the rules of the road if asked about them by the person who would give him his driver’s test. He also practiced his driving skills every day that he could, so he could do things like parallel park with ease, and drive the car with some skill and confidence.
Jason’s dad sensed that Jason was a little worried about the test, so he told Jason, “Tell you what, Jason. I will give you the Bill Hunter driving test. If you can pass my test, the state test should be a piece of cake!” A couple of days before Jason’s test, Bill Hunter went with him in the Explorer and put him through a complete test. He made Jason do parking maneuvers, drive on side streets and the freeway, demonstrate signaling and safety issues, accelerate and slow down, and show that he understood every facet of driving that Bill could think of.
Jason passed Bill’s test with flying colors. He told Jason, “If you perform like that on your test, you should have no problem earning your license! Then I will be happy to turn over the keys to the Explorer to you!” Jason beamed with pleasure upon hearing that.
Jason’s test time on Friday was at 9:30 AM. Bill Hunter told his office assistant, Ellie, that he would be in a little late. Then he went with Jason to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Luckily for Jason, everything went like clockwork. He passed his test with a 92% grade and was awarded a driver’s license. Jason had a big smile on his face as he posed for his driver’s license photo.
Jason’s parents told him that they would celebrate his birthday later that weekend. “Because I took time for your test today, I am going to have to work late at the store tonight,” his dad told him after they were done at the DMV.
The night before, his mom had mentioned that her company was having a special corporate dinner party that Friday evening so she wouldn’t be home until late either. “Maybe you can do something with Laura or Daniel Friday night, and then we will celebrate on Saturday,” she told Jason.
“That’s fine, Mom,” Jason replied. “If I pass my driver’s test on Friday, that will be celebration enough for that day.”
Knowing that his parents would be gone that night, Jason had called a number of his friends to see if they were free, but they all told him that they were busy with other activities. Laura was the only one available that night. She told him, “I have a hair appointment at five. It was the only time I could get. So I won’t be home until after six. Why don’t you come over at 6:30. I know that the two of us will be able to figure out something fun to do for your birthday. Maybe we could go to a movie or something. If you get your license, drive over. That should be fun, right?”
So things were all set for the unsuspecting Jason. He actually had to ride his bike over to Laura’s house because his parents were out with both family vehicles. But that was okay. This weekend Jason’s dad would be getting his new car, and then Jason could start using the Explorer. Jason left home about twenty after six and was knocking on Laura’s door promptly at 6:30. He heard Laura yell at him from inside, “I left the door open for you. Come on in!”
Although it was light outside, it was dark in the entryway and in the living room because the curtains had all been closed. As Jason walked in, it took a couple of moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. “Laura, where are you?” Jason called out.
“I’m on the patio. Come on out to the back!” Laura called back.
As Jason was walking through the living room, suddenly all the lights came on and there was a huge chorus of “Surprise! Surprise!” At first startled, Jason looked around the room and saw all of these people coming out of hiding. There was Daniel, Eric, Nick, and Tim from the band, Laura, Diana, Rebecca, and Teresa, Tim’s girl friend, Richard Liu, Chauncey Jackson and the A-list guys that Jason played basketball with, and a number of his other friends from school. His parents were there, along with Daniel’s parents, Laura’s parents, and Joe Connor. A special guest was Cody Johnson, who had driven up for the event all the way from Malibu. Everyone came up and congratulated him on his birthday, punched him on the shoulder, and patted him on the back.
Jason broke out into a wide smile. “You guys really got me this time!”
“Do you really think that all of your friends and family would desert you on your sixteenth birthday?” Daniel said.
“Yesterday when Laura was telling me all about her summer plans for me, she conveniently left this occasion off the list.” Jason replied.
Laura came up and held Jason’s hand. “A girl can’t give up all
of her secrets! Happy birthday!” she said and then gave him a hug and a kiss.
Jason began making the rounds to greet everyone who had come out. “Mom and Dad, I thought you had to be at work tonight. What happened?”
“Do you think we would miss your sixteenth birthday for work?” Edith said laughing. She also gave Jason a hug and kiss. “We just told you that so we could help the Friesens and Mrs. Miglione get this party together.
“I guess I will have to put off getting rich for another day, Son!” Bill Hunter said as he shook his son’s hand and gave him a hug. “Oh and by the way, I believe you have earned these today.” Mr. Hunter reached into his pocket and presented Jason with the keys to the Explorer.
“Thanks, Dad!” Jason responded as he took the keys. “This has to be one of the happiest days of my life! And thanks for giving me the ‘Dad’ driver’s test. It was great practice.”
Jason then greeted the other adults, starting with Melinda and Gary Holmes, Daniel’s parents. Jason gave Melinda Holmes a hug and shook hands with Gary. “Thanks for coming out tonight. You are like my second set of parents and Daniel is like a brother to me.”
“With all of the adventures you two have gotten into lately, you need two sets of parents just to keep up!” Melinda said. “We feel honored that you call us family. You know the feeling is mutual!”
“Congratulations on passing your driving test today!” Gary added. “You guys are growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday that Daniel came home from one of his first days at high school and said, ‘I met this really cool kid named Jason today!’ “
Jason greeted Mr. and Mrs. Friesen. “Thank you for hosting another party for me! I feel like this is my second home!” he said as he gave Dorothy Friesen a hug and shook Mr. Friesen’s hand.
“Well in a way it is!” Mrs. Friesen said laughing. “There isn’t a day that goes by without the latest Jason report from Laura!”
Eyewitness News Page 5