Chapter 44

The patrol-car pulled up to the the last NO PARKING sign at the dirt side of the Tee pier ... the sole patrolman got out and surveyed the boats. He opened the backdoor and let out a mob ... yes ... three 8 or 9 year old boys can be a mob.

He sighed and started walking out to the end of the dock and the boat. He was herding the boys. Tyche sighed in turn, she knew. He was coming to see her.

“Junior?” Junior was fixing to join the Ludington Saturday Tanning Club. Meets every Saturday it doesn’t rain. Beginning to be a throng. Junior IS still a teenager. Cyn and Surprise ARE 22 ... young adults. Krys and Cassie are mid teens, Jo is 19 ... just like Junior. Several of the local high school beauties have wrangled invites to the club ... good thing the Flint is big.

The Flint crew is dithering. Their contracted year expired a month ago and they have hopes ... one does not willing leave the job of the century.

“Tyche?”

“Cheese it ... the cops.” Tyche has been watching ‘old movies’ on DVD ... everyone onboard has been suffering through nostalgia.

Junior slipped on a just slipped off Tee Shirt. Although she thought she thought it, she said, “I wonder what he wants.” Then she noticed the boys, “Never mind.”

“Officer?”

“These boys tell me that that,” a finger at Tyche, “child has been flying ... something?” He wasn’t used to being interrupted.

“She has a license,” Junior said. “I should know, I issued it.”

“And who are you?”

Junior hasn’t met Everybody and some older males aren’t used to dealing with women. Some older males didn’t understand about the princessapality vote and some didn’t vote for leaving.

“Wendolyn Elizabeth Wanzor Austin, the Third ... commonly called Junior, the Princess of the Princessapality, ruler of all I survey.”

“Liberated, huh?” the cop said. “I’ll need to see your ID.”

“I’ll have to get it ... it’s not something I carry while sunbathing.”

“Well... ?”

So ... Junior headed for the gangway.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To fetch my ID.”

“I didn’t say you could leave.”

“It’s not on this boat because I don’t live here.” She pointed at the Basilisk. I’m staying there. You want my ID ... I have to go get it.”

“I’ll just go with,” he said.

“Not without taking the boys ... they’ll break my plane,” Tyche said.

And the boys looked guilty. But ... one of the boys was a son ... his son.

“My kid wouldn’t do that. He’s responsible. He’ll just look.”

“JW? Surveillance Cameras,” Tyche said quietly, “he’s leaving the boys here.”

Junior said, “They better not break it. That plane was two thousand dollars.”

“Really?” said Tyche. “two thousand dollars?” She knew ... she was restating the price so nobody could say they didn’t know.

Some people are too determined they can do whatever they want ... and some kids don’t know what ‘surveillance’ means.

SV Flint has a high definition color camera surveillance system. The boys faces were captured perfectly. Even the look of satisfaction when the wings broke off.

“Daddy will take my word over yours, Tyche Flintkote,” said the cop’s kid. The recording system caught every word.

Of course ... the boys were local ... and nobody knew ... officially ... about the boats and their passengers or crew...”furriners” or ‘summer folk.’

“She did it ... to make us look bad,” said the boys ... and it didn’t make a single lick that the witnesses said the boys did it ... locals.

Junior called the Princessapality Police ... THEY flew in on a Princessapality C-130 and arrested the judge, police chief and cops. Brought a judge with.

“Junior,” asked the judge, “What’s up?”

“The cop brought his kid to the boat ... said the kid just wanted to look. His kid deliberately broke a two thousand dollar RC model and lied about it.”

“Proof?”

The surveillance tapes were played.