A Target on Their Back

"You do leave messes, don't you?"

"I'd like to see you do better..."

"Considering I'm the Empress of Evil. Do you not think that I could do much better than you. There were five blue and reds at the scene not to mention a firetruck. I wanted them killed quietly, not to have investigators looking for us before we even leave the island, you miserable wretch."

"Now it's going to be darned near impossible to get off this miserable island. I've waited over 40 years for this retribution and you have ruined it... because of your ineptitude."

"You don't know just how hard it was to break into their garage and slit the brake fluid line...that d- place is like a fortification."

"Excuses, excuses, I have underlings who are much more competent than you, you miserable worm. I don't understand why I promoted you to Sidekick. But you are going to do two more jobs for me...so you can prove to me that you're competent.

I want the mayor of this miserable town killed...and her husband too.

Allan's Eulogy

"Family, friends, loved ones, we are gathered here today to celebrate the life of a couple who lived their life to the fullest, though it was cut tragically too short. It was almost forty two years ago that my father proposed to my mother up on a hill in Sunset Valley; surprisingly, the same hill that my mother had often gone up to together with my dad when they were kids. As a matter of fact, they met as toddlers...and according to my Grandma Fiona, everyone knew that they were destined to be together."

"It was an old-fashioned love story; it was said that where one was, the other was usually soon to follow. And they did that throughout their lives up to and including the final act of their lives." If one went somewhere, the other usually ended up following. My mother loved my father deeply and without reservation.

That hill in Sunset Valley where they used to go so many times before became special not just for their childhood memories, but because it was one afternoon about twelve years later that my father got down on one knee and proposed to my mother to start them on their road together.

Mom told me that the happiest day of her life was the day she got married to the man that she loved more than life itself. And looking back on their wedding photos, I can truly say that they were overjoyed to know that they would embark on their journey together.

Make no mistake, married life was not an easy road; strewn with potholes and bumps. But the most important thing was that they met life's challenges together, hand in hand, against all comers.

To any and all opposition; they held a united front: because they were a couple and that's what couples do. And that's what they did. In fact, they gave us a sterling example of how to be a married couple. And that was the template that I drew upon when I married Fumiko. And my brother drew upon it when he married Greta as did our sisters when they married their respective husbands. My father was a strict man, brought up in the Japanese tradition. by his late mother and father. He insisted that we get our homework done before doing anything, up to and including eating...OK...maybe that isn't entirely true, but he certainly didn't hesitate to let you know if you'd been slacking off. But he was strict with our best interests in mind. And I truly appreciate why he was strict with me now that I'm raising my own son, because now I know exactly what to look for because he was able to see through walls with me - and you're doing your homework tonight, son! You know it's due tomorrow." I'm sure my brother and sisters agree with me.

"I want to remember my mother and my father as they were, vibrant, full of life, full of love for each other - not the last picture that I have in my mind's eye when Detective Constable Langerak came to the door...and...told...me...that my father...and mother...were dead and that I had to go identify them at the morgue; that any autopsy finding that they had were going to be a part of an on-going case. I can still remember the devastation that I felt when my brother and I went down, hoping against hope, that they were mistaken. But they weren't. Constable Langerak and Constable Bunch were my rocks that day. They'd gone to school with my dad and my mom and they knew just how much it hurt. And they were there for my brother and me as we digested the fact that we were now on our own - Thank you, Parker...thank you, Ethan, and thank you, Miraj."

"Thank you for coming...to celebrate the life of my mother and my father. As I go forward, I'm going to take the time to realize that life is finite; to take that little extra time with my son and wife and hold them close to my heart. Whereever you are, Mom and Dad, I love you, I miss you dearly...and I'll see you again some day."

The Good Die Before Their Time

Detectives Parker Langerak, Miraj Alvi and Ethan Bunch were having a relatively quiet day at their new post - they had just taken out an unmarked to go get some lunch, the radio calls were generally benign. They had been transfered to the RCMP station at Cape Garner Island a few weeks ago and had just started to fit in. Other than the few general calls of domestics, there really wasn't much in the way of serious incidents. That was until a call came in that made their blood run cold. "Delta-Six Two, we have a 10-01, confirmed 10-69. Request you 10-18 and secure the scene until we get a 10-16 to the site."

Det. Bunch picked up the mike. "Delta Six Two, 10-4."

When they came upon the scene, Det. Langerak's heart fell. It was a well-known Bugatti that had smashed into a redwood and a porch, the driver's side was caved in quite severely and there was just as much damage on the passenger side. "Holy...s-" he cut off an epithet in mid-breath. "It doesn't look as though he had a chance to brake. Then his heart leapt into his mouth. It was well-apparent that the driver had expired, "Oh...God..." he whispered as he peered in the passenger side. "Oh...no..."

"This is bad..." said Det. Alvi. "I'm going to radio dispatch, and tell them to send a meat-wagon for the driver." It was apparent that he couldn't do anything for the driver, the lividity of the flesh pretty much indicated time of death.

Parker had worked enough vehicular accidents to know just exactly what a high-speed impact with a tree could do to the human body. He'd seen enough people draw their last breaths on scene. Knowing that the potential for a gas explosion from the vehicle was possible, he and Ethan worked to pull the driver and his apparent spouse from the wreckage of the Bugatti Chiron, the risk of explosion outweighed the risk of further injury from moving the vehicle occupants. The driver's spouse was still breathing and Parker realized that it was his classmate, River... "oh...dear god...", he mouthed. The fact that her chest pushed in...and there was little resistance meant that her ribs were shattered. And it was more than likely that she had severe internal injuries. Her breathing was shallow...and her pulse rate was erratic.

"Stay with me, River...you're going to be all right..." Parker demanded.

She coughed weakly, "...Parker...no...brakes..." she managed to get out... "He pumped...brake...pedal...no...brakes."

Parker's blood ran cold. This wasn't a regular vehicle accident, this was murder. It could only mean one thing..."Your brake-line was cut?" he asked. River's eyelids fluttered, she was fading... "Dam it!!! River...stay with me...please...Stay with me..."

"Har-u-o..." River weakly whispered..."My...husb-"

Parker had a lump in his throat a mile wide.

Det. Bunch checked on Haruo's pulse. He shook his head at Miraj. "No pulse...He's gone..."

Parker knew that his attempts to make River stay with him were in naught...her pulse was fading and she was shivering. "My...Hus..band..." her voice was just a whisper.

Parker's eyes spilled over as he tried to get his voice out through the enormous logjam in his throat, "I'm sorry...River...I'm...so sorry..." he whispered to her. "He's gone...but you're still here...you need to live...for your kids..." he tried to give her something to hold on to.

She coughed weakly again...her breath watery, "Kids...grown...I'm going...with...Haru..."

"No...River...no...Please..." There was still a part of Parker that loved River and he was devastated, "No...you can't..."

"My...husb..."

She went limp in his arms...coughing out blood...as the life left her. "No...RIVER!!!!" Parker wouldn't let her go; he held her tight to him, cleaning off the corner of her mouth of blood, all the while whispering: "no...River...no...no..." was all that he could repeat.

Det. Bunch had a sour look on his face, "I want the son of a you-know-what...I'm going to take who ever it is down. It has all the makings of a hit and I want the guy who did this. Whoever did this is going to pay dearly." Det. Alvi nodded, "I'll get on it with dispatch and open up an investigation."

Det. Alvi hoped that whoever it was would turn themselves in for their own sake. It would be better that way, because it appeared as though Det. Bunch was out for blood.

Karina Reaches Her Teens

Cape Garner was a wonderful place to live. With the scenery and the mountains in the background across the Sound, it was quite the scenic place to make a home.

...and of course another cycle of the moon happened, with nothing much really happening this time around. But of course, life and the usual day-to-day tasks that needed doing were the things that kept the Chikamoris busy.

There were always things to do like fishing, leaf-pile woohoo (OUCH...ANTS!!!), risking rabies, and jamming with family. So much to do.

River, also feeling that she needed to do this, something that prompted her, ended up going down to the shrine to the ancestors and praying, while Haruo discussed things with Braden, on how he was going to take over the every day duties of the household. It just seemed like it was the thing to do, whether it was a sense of something that needed to be done or whether it was some other-worldly prompting.

Braden was uncertain as to why his dad was discussing matters like this, but he shook it off as his dad feeling his age creeping up on him. His dad wasn't young any more and Braden could see the worry lines creasing his dad's forehead. Meanwhile, Alfredo took care of the garden, and Karina came out to talk to Grandpa about fishing and other things.

It was Karina's birthday and she aged up to teen not too long after her adoptive aunt.

The party was wonderful and everyone was able to have a slice of Karina's birthday cake.

Haruo did spend some time fishing...enjoying the peace and tranquility of the Sound. And other members of the family did what they had to do. River headed off to the bookstore to grab some books. Colin looked up the weather (there was snow in the forecast) and River came home to sit down and read.

That night River came down to spend a little quiet time with Haruo. "We've had some good years together, haven't we?" said Haruo quietly as he gazed into River's eyes.

"I'm hoping for many more..." River replied...as Haruo gathered her into his arms. "I love you..."

...and so they headed off to bed...