Rainbow's End

by JB Bonds

  “That sounds like a lot of fun,” McGhee said.

  “We’ve got room in the car, if you two would like to join us,” Roz said.

  “I’ve never seen a dolphin before,” Ida said.

  “That settles it, we’ll give you a call when we’ve fed the kids a little lunch and are ready to go. I know Kendall, Roz, and I have to be back by 4:00 p.m. for the final talent show practice and to tweak the set. Burton expects everyone to be there on time, which I can’t blame him,” I said.

  “OK, but I want you to know, I won’t be swimming with the dolphins,” McGhee said.

  “We’ll leave that to Kody and Kendall. I’m sure there will be some kind of seating for those who don’t want to get in the water,” Roz said.

  We checked out the plugged “B-holes” and found no bees buzzing around, so McGhee was hopeful that problem had been solved. As we were driving home, I asked Roz to let me get out so I could check our mailbox. As I was walking back toward our house, I looked up from the mail in time to see Virgil getting out of his car and dashing up his front steps. He was carrying a bulging duffel bag. Over the past week or so we had noticed the Hammonds were getting a delivery of boxes everyday from UPS or FedEx. From our vantage point, people, boxes, and duffel bags were going in and out over there in record numbers. The other odd thing Roz and I had noticed was that neither Virgil nor Flo were attending as many Rainbow functions as they did when they first moved in. I couldn’t honestly remember the last time I’d seen Flo, and had only seen Virgil in passing. It seemed they were far too busy with their business to do much of anything else.

  We had just gotten into the house when Kody and Kendall came up the back deck stairs. They were chatting away. Not only was this week a wonderful way for me and Roz to connect with our grandkids, but the cousins actually got some quality time together.

  “Kody, the animals you painted for the talent show are the best!” Kendall said.

  “They do make it look more like a circus, don’t they?” Kody said with a lot of pride.

  “I can tell you right now, Kody, when those animals are taken down after the talent show, I’ll personally store them away so they can be used again next year. I hope this talent show will be an annual event for Rainbow’s End,” I said.

  “Can I take your camera tomorrow night and get pictures?” Kody asked.

  “Great idea! Be sure to get some of Kendall when she and Burton are performing.” Roz said.

  Chapter 43

  Matching Turbans

  “Grab some lunch, you two. We’re going over to Marathon Key to swim with the dolphins as soon as you’ve eaten,” Roz said.

  “Swim with the dolphins? I want to put on my new bathing suit!” Kody said as he ran down the hallway.

  “Grams, would you mind if I stay here? I want to get online and talk to some of my friends, and I have a book I want to read,” Kendall asked.

  “Are you sure you want to hang around here all afternoon?” Roz asked.

  “I also want to tell my friends all about Burton and how I’m singing with him tomorrow night. Grams, you wouldn’t believe the stars he knows! Am I really going to get to go to New York City and audition with some of his theater friends?”

  “If at all possible. I mentioned it to your mom a couple of days ago when she called, and she was going to talk to your dad. I could tell she was a little anxious about the trip, but she also knows you can’t pass up an opportunity like this,” Roz said.

  “I love you, Grams! This has been the best vacation of my life!”

  Kody, Roz, and I picked up McGhee and Ida and drove over the seven mile bridge to Marathon Key. What a bridge, and the scenery along that stretch of the Keys is out of this world! Us older ladies enjoyed that part of the trip more than anything. Little Kody was up front with me and loving the ride in the convertible.

  Roz had already reserved a spot for Kody and Kendall for a dip with the dolphins, so she went to the researchers to let them know there was one less for the show. McGhee, Ida, and I found a place we could sit to watch, and also take some pictures. There was an enclosed area in the water where the dolphins were located that allowed people to actually get in the water with them. Of course, there were trainers to assist and make sure all went well for the participants. Kody was in heaven. He got to touch the dolphins, make them do tricks, and actually swim around with them. After about an hour, the session was over and Kody joined us when he got out of the dolphin enclosure.

  “Grandma, I know what I’m going to be when I grow up!” Kody said as he ran over to where we were standing.”

  “And what is that, Kody?”

  “I’m going to move down here and live with you and Aunt Roz, and I’m going to get a job helping little kids swim with dolphins!”

  “Not a bad idea. Can I suggest something? Why don’t you start reading about dolphins and other sea animals? By the time you get ready to go to college, maybe you could study to be a marine biologist.”

  “You mean you can go to college to learn how to swim with dolphins?”

  “Yes, that and a lot of other wonderful things to learn about the ocean and everything that swims in it.”

  We went to our car and saw a young man getting out of his vehicle. We asked him to take a picture of our group. Why we hadn’t asked someone before then, I wasn’t sure, but I really wanted a picture of Kody with the four of us.

  “Roz, can you post these pictures on my facebook page when we get home? I think I’ve gotten some really good ones since the kids have been here. I know their parents would love to see them.”

  “That will take about five minutes. No problem,” Roz said.

  We got home, dropped McGhee and Ida off, got our showers, and dressed for the talent show rehearsal. Roz had posted all my pictures online.

  “Grams, these are great pictures with Kody and the dolphins,” Kendall said.

  “Let me see,” I said as I walked by.

  She had scrolled through almost all of them when I saw something in the group picture that made me do a double take.

  “Kendall, back up one picture, please,” I said.

  “There, that one. Roz, could you come over here?”

  “OK, what’s up?” Roz said.

  “Look at this picture and tell me that isn’t Virgil Hammond in the background.”

  “Let me see. Yes, that’s who it is. What’s he doing?”

  “Looks like he’s giving a big box of something to someone.”

  After rehearsal I had to admit I was ready for the talent show to be over. Just working around Burton was so difficult, and some of the people in the show were also a little too wired, and that caused him even more angst.

  “Grams, what did you think?” Kendall said as she caught up to us leaving the Recreation Center.

  “Kendall, you’re going to be the hit of the show. I couldn’t believe that big voice coming out of your little body. I’m so proud of you!” Roz gave her a big hug.

  Kendall and Burton were doing a duet of “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” from South Pacific, which I thought apropos for Burton, but didn’t say that to Kendall. She actually seemed a little young for the song, but did a beautiful rendition of it. They were adorable in their matching white terry cloth towel turbans and bath robes as they stepped out from behind shower curtains on opposite sides of the stage to meet in the middle to do their number. Burton had gotten two volunteers to hold each shower curtain up in front of them as they started their song. It was all very clever.

  Since it was around 8:00 p.m., we decided to go home, pop some popcorn, and watch a movie together. Kendall wanted to get a good night’s sleep before the big performance the next night. When we got home, to our surprise, there was a young boy sitting on our deck. Kody ran to say hello to him.

  “Christopher, what’s up?” Kody asked.

 
“I thought I’d come by to see if you wanted to take a bike ride or something.”

  “I don’t think I can do that right now, but would you like to watch a movie with us? Is that all right, Grandma?”

  “Hello, Christopher, I’m Kody’s grandmother. Where are you visiting in Rainbow’s End?”

  “A couple blocks over with my grandma, Roberta Stevens.”

  “You’re welcome to stay if it’s OK with her. Can you call her from our phone?”

  “I’ve got my cell. I can use that.”

  We all went into the house, and while Christopher called his grandmother, Roz got Max out of his kennel, and started to take him outside.

  “Aunt Roz, can me and Christopher take Max for a little walk?” Kody asked.

  “Joanie, what do you think?”

  “That should be OK, but don’t be long. We want to get the movie started so it won’t be too late when it’s over. Don’t be any longer than ten or fifteen minutes, OK?”

  “No problem. We’ll just go around the block,” Kody said.

  While the boys were gone, us three girls got our lounge wear on and popped the corn. When it got to be twenty minutes since the boys had left, I was not only aggravated, but worried. When almost thirty minutes had gone by, I knew it was time to take a walk. I was just about to get changed when I heard a scratching noise at the front door. To my utter shock, when I opened the door, it was little Max. He was alone, dragging his leash.

  Chapter 44

  A Hole in the Fence

  We put Max in his kennel, threw on some clothes, and got in the golf cart to go look for the boys. Kendall stayed home to make calls to Herb Bennett and Joe Curtis as her grandmother had instructed, in hopes one or both of them were available to help look for the boys. As we drove down toward the pool and took a left to go up the Inner Perimeter Road, we could hear screaming voices coming from somewhere off to the right.

  Roz parked the cart and we made our way toward an embankment where we could see Kody and Christopher hanging on to a guy who was thrashing around under the fence. Kendall must have reached Joe, because he was just getting to the boys as we came up behind them. Joe got down on his knees, grabbed both of the teenager’s legs and with an amazing amount of strength, pulled him from under the fence, and pinned him down.

  “Grandma, he was stealing from a house! Me and Christopher ran after him, and we almost couldn’t hold on any longer, and Grandma, I think Max ran away!” Kody said as tears sprang to his eyes.

  I grabbed Kody in a big hug and assured him Max was safe at home. Roz gave Christopher a hug, which he seemed to appreciate. Both boys were shaken, and were very quickly realizing what they had just done.

  “I called the police!” Christopher said as he sat down on the grass.

  “They should be here any minute. What’s in the pillow case, kid?” Joe asked the young teenager he was holding securely to the ground.

  “None of your God-damned business, mister.”

  “May not be any of my business, but the police can decide that,” Joe said as a police cruiser came into sight at the top of the embankment, siren blaring.

  Herb rode up in his golf cart at about the same time. The two officers took control of the teenager and put both him and the pillow case into their cruiser.

  “My name is Officer DuBois. Looks like you all might have caught your burglar,” he said as we stood at the top of the embankment. “Leave your names, addresses, and phone numbers with Officer Clark. Someone will be by to talk to you in the morning.”

  We gathered up Kody and Christopher and drove to Christopher’s grandmother’s. She insisted we come in and sit for a bit. That’s when the boys told us what had happened.

  “We were walking Max like we always do, a couple of blocks from your house,Grandma.That’s when we heard something that sounded like metal and stuff hitting the ground,” Kody said as he stood up to emphasize how loud the noise was.

  “Yeah, you wouldn’t believe how loud it was, and that’s when we saw this guy climbing out of a window at the back of someone’s house. When he got to the ground, he picked up a white bag that looked really heavy,” Christopher added as he stood up beside Kody.

  “Max was going crazy, growling and barking and pulling on his leash. He pulled the leash out of my hand and ran over to the guy. That’s when Max got kicked in the chin and ran away!” At this point Kody was almost in tears again.

  “Then the guy started running up the street, and I told Christopher I thought he might be the burglar you told us about, Grandma. Christopher had his cell phone with him and dialed 911, and then we ran after him.”

  My heart was in my throat thinking about these two young boys running after someone who was capable of burglaries and who knew what else.

  “We saw the guy run over the embankment at the end of the block, and by the time we got there, he was trying to crawl through a hole in the fence, but his bag was stuck. That’s when we ran down and jumped on his legs.” Christopher was waving his arms and flailing around, demonstrating how he and Kody had held on to the burglar.

  “Grandma, if Mr. Curtis hadn’t gotten there when he did, I think we would have lost the guy. He was really kicking hard!

  The three of us grandmothers sat in stunned silence for a moment trying to digest the story. I, for one, was saying a prayer of thanks that neither child had been hurt.

  Kendall was anxiously waiting for us, and Kody told his story once again. I wasn’t sure he would sleep real well that evening because he was so worked up over his adventure. Kody called his mom and dad after he finished telling Kendall all the details. My son was shocked over the whole incident and I had to assure him Kody was not harmed.

  “Grandma, I think Max is going to be a really good watch dog for you and Aunt Roz. He must have known that kid was the one who tried to get in your house,” Kody said.

  “That could be, Kody. I can’t believe he found his way home so easily after he ran away from you,” I said.

  “I guess all my training is working,” Kody said as he curled up under his blanket on the sleeper sofa. He was asleep in minutes.

  Early the next morning, we had visitors from the local police department. Roz answered the door with Max’s help as Kody peeped out from under the blanket on the sofa. Kendall had not yet gotten up.

  “Good morning, please come in,” Roz said as she motioned for the two officers to come inside.

  “Good morning, ma’am. We need to ask you some questions about your involvement in the apprehension last evening.”

  “I can tell you everything that happened,” Kody said as he came into the kitchen.

  “What’s your name, young man?”

  “Kody O’Hara.”

  “Tell me exactly what you saw, Kody.”

  Kody told the whole adventure yet again, being sure to include information about Christopher and how he helped.

  “Do you know where Christopher lives?”

  “He’s visiting his grandma. She lives a couple of blocks from here.”

  “Do you know his whole name?”

  “Christopher Stevens, I believe. We stopped to talk to his grandmother last evening to let her know what had happened. They live on Gulf Breeze,” I added.

  “Thank you. We’ll be talking to him after we leave here. We’ve already spoken to Mr. Bennett and Mr. Curtis. It looks like the young man you apprehended last evening is involved in a burglary ring located in the subdivision adjacent to Rainbow’s End. The pillow case we confiscated had iPads, laptops, jewelry, cell phones, cash, and several GPS systems in it. After some questioning, we were able to learn he’s one of six young men who have been stealing from your community over the past couple of months. He actually took us to the house where a lot of items were hidden in a garage. We arrested three other teens that were there. They were selling everything to get cash for drugs. Kody,
thank you for helping us catch these guys.”

  “No problem. I can’t wait to get home and tell my friends about how I caught a burglar. This is so cool!”

  “I don’t think we need any more information right now. Everything is falling into place since the teen is cooperating. If we have any other questions, we’ll get in touch.”

  As the police officers left, Kendall came into the living room.

  “Who was that this early?”

  “Oh, just the police. They wanted to talk to me,” Kody said with a smug grin on his face.

  Chapter 45

  His Knees Buckled

  We had numerous phone calls and several visits from neighbors trying to find out about the rumor they’d heard that Kody had singlehandedly caught the Rainbow’s End burglar. When it finally died down, the four of us spent a very nice morning swimming at the pool, and then we went into Key West for lunch. I wanted to get a picture of the grandkids by the Southern Most Point Marker, and Kody wanted to buy his mom and dad a little present. We treated Kendall to a manicure and pedicure in preparation for her debut later that night, and Kody, Roz, and I took an hour long schooner sail while we waited for Kendall.

  When we got back home, Kody asked if he could ride his bike over to see Christopher for a little while, and Kendall got on the computer to talk to friends. Later in the afternoon she went to her room to start getting ready for the talent show. Roz and I got out our gowns to make sure all was good with them. We would be at the Recreation Center door welcoming people and ushering them to their seats. I had actually bought a stuffed toy monkey when we were in Key West for Kody that he wanted to sit on his shoulder, because he planned to stand with me and Roz at the door.

  We all went to the Recreation Center around 4:00 p.m. McGhee and Ida said they’d be sure to get there early to get good seats. We felt a lot of people would be coming to Under the Big Top and hoped there would be enough seating. Burton didn’t plan on doing the show but the one evening. We hadn’t seen Burton since the day before, so we had no idea how he was feeling now that he’d stopped taking the elixir. The show was scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. and last about an hour and a half. Roz and I had gotten into our dresses and stationed ourselves by the front door when Burton came out to speak to us. I say came out, but he actually twirled out to us. He was flying high.