“Here you go, Uncle Cisco.” Everly handed the chief a baseball. “Dunk him good.”
Cisco laughed and threw the ball toward the target. It missed and bounced away. Fitzgibbon chased after it.
“Close enough,” Jude said and hit the lever plunging Ronan back into the tank.
“Hey! You can’t do that!” Ronan sputtered. More of his yellow feathers littered the water.
“Sorry, Chief, Ronan says we can’t do that. You want me to fire him for you?” Jude doubled over with laughter.
“It’s okay. I’ve got a second ball.” Cisco winked at Jude and tossed the second ball into the air. He caught it and threw the ball toward the target. It was a perfect bullseye, dunking Ronan again.
Everly gave the chief a high five. “Let’s go get a cookie to celebrate.”
“How about we get two?” Cisco asked.
“Deal.” Everly turned back to Ronan. “Good luck, Daddy!” She waved Aurora and Wolf to join them.
“See you later, babe.” Ten said.
“Where are you going?” Ronan whimpered.
“To get a cookie. I’ll be back later.” Ten snickered at the look on Ronan’s face. “You’re in good hands with Salem EMS. Who better to help out in an emergency?”
Ten wasn’t worried about Ronan having an emergency. What he was worried about was Ronan finding out he was the one who’d called Cisco and invited him to Dunk the Detective.
21
Ronan
Despite the warm temperatures and the bright sunshine, Ronan felt like a frozen fish stick. He’d been out of the dunk tank for about ten minutes and had changed into dry clothes, but he was still ice cold. He had no idea how many times he’d been dunked. He lost count around forty. Those assholes from the Salem FireDepartment were all members of the softball team. A team that had gone undefeated for the last five years.
It was all for a good cause, so Ronan couldn’t be too upset, but he was starting to worry that the feeling hadn’t come back to his hands yet. He’d grabbed a hot cup of coffee from one of the food trucks and wrapped his frozen fingers around it. He’d wanted to get a deep fried Snickers bar, but was afraid he’d drop it before getting to eat it.
“Hey, Ronan!” Spencer called out. He was eating a sausage and pepper sandwich and carrying a cup filled with crispy fries. Taking a seat at the table, he set down his food. “I caught your last few dunks in the tank. I’ll try my luck later when it’s Jude’s turn in the chicken suit.”
“Don’t remind me about the chicken suit.” By the time the Salem Fire Department left the tank, all of Ronan’s feathers were floating in the water and he’d lost one of the large orange chicken feet. He was in mourning for the costume, which Tennyson had to peel off of him while Fitzgibbon used a pool strainer to clean out the sodden remains of Ronan’s glorious chicken.
“The fundraiser seems to be going well. I went to get one of your kitchen sink cookies and they were all sold out. A lot of the goodies were sold out.”
“Yeah, I’m sure the fireman cleaned the place out,” Ronan grumped. “Everly and I will bake you an entire batch if you like.”
“That would be great,” Spencer agreed.
“What’s up next for you?” Ronan knew there was one condition left to go before Spencer fulfilled the terms of Aunt Effy Lou’s will.
“I went to my interview with Carson and Cassie yesterday and I’m starting at the bakery on Monday morning. Cassie was impressed with my baking experience. Carson wants me to come in and shadow him for a few hours so I can see if I like the job.”
“That’s great news, Spencer. How do you feel about this new way forward for you?”
Spencer smiled at Ronan. “You know, I felt good when I went to bed last night. I wasn’t angry or frustrated or guilty. I was just happy. I don’t know how to thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“Live a good life. That’s how you thank me. The sky is the limit for you. Make friends. Get married. Start a family. Your entire future is in your hands.”
“Dad!” Everly shouted, running toward the table. Tennyson and Ezra were behind her. “You’re finally dry.”
“I am, but I’m still cold. I need a hug to warm me up.” Before Everly could climb into his lap, he scooped her up and gave her a squeeze. His daughter squealed with laughter.
“How’s Fitzgibbon doing in the tank?” Ronan would never say it out loud, but he hoped Fitzgibbon got dunked with every ball thrown.
