Game Date: 04.30.2001

Reunion?

It was a quiet, moonless night.

Frank had been watching the house for hours. It was by itself and the nearest neighbor was a good mile up the road. She had come home a couple of hours ago and the lights had gone out about an hour later.

"If I know her, she's asleep by now." Frank made his way quietly around to the backside of the house. "If I were a key being hidden where no one could find me, where would I be?" Frank said quietly to himself. "Ah, third brick in, fifth brick down." Frank lifted up the specified brick in the patio and sure enough, there was a zip lock bag with a key under the brick. He picked up the bag, retrieved the key, opened the back door and went inside.

Quietly Frank moved toward her bedroom. He had just opened the door to the bedroom when he heard the distinct sound of a .45 being cocked.

"Alright, asshole. I don't know what you thought you were going to get here, but it's a one way ticket to the morgue if you move one more muscle." The, very awake, woman said.

"I never could sneak up on you, could I?"

"Frankie?"

All of a sudden the bedroom light was on, the .45 hit the floor and Frank was being bowled over by the woman trying to hug him to death.

"Easy, Mary. You're going to kill me!" Frank said with a smile.

"Kill you? I'm going to do a lot worse than that big brother. I thought you were dead!" Mary said with sisterly compassion and worry.

"Nope, not me. It was the other guy." Frank said with a smile, like it was a joke between the two of them. "Besides, when did I ever steal anything?" Frank asked.

"Well, there was that one time…" Mary started.

"Yeah, but dad tanned my hide good, made me apologize to Mr. Schumann then work at his store all summer, so I'd get the idea stealing was wrong. All of that just for taking a comic book."

"I know you Frank, you'll risk your neck in heartbeat."

"But, I'd never risk mom or dad's name by doing something stupid."

"Okay Frank, you're alive." Mary hugged Frank one more time and then popped him up on the backside of his head. "That's for scaring me half to death." She said with a stern look of rebuke that turned into a big smile when she could not hold the look any longer.

"Well, about that, I'm going to have to stay dead a little while longer. Someone is after me and wants me in a bad way. The only reason I came here tonight was to make sure you were okay."

"What have you done now Frank? Is this like that time at camp?"

"No and don't even bring camp or George Bell's name into this. This is a real mess and I honestly don't know what's going on. My house and two cars have been blown up and I don't think whoever it is, is through yet. I've been up with Uncle John since my death. Oh, and it looks like he has finally settled down with a pretty nice lady AND they're expecting, soon. He really doesn't look too good lately, so you ought to take a trip up there and see him soon."

"What are you going to be doing now Frank? If you're suppose to be dead, you can't just go running around looking for whoever it is that is after you."

"I know. Like I said, I've been up with Uncle John and he has been giving me some help. He has also gotten me in contact with some people that are going to be able to help me when I've found whoever it is that is trying to get me. Now I need you to do something for me."

"Name it."

"My banking accounts, I am dead so they are yours. Take a hefty chunk for yourself and then donate the rest to the North Bay Foundation. That way, you get a little something for your grief," Frank winked and smiled at Mary, "and I'll have access to some liquid assets."

"Okay, besides it would look pretty damned strange if someone started getting lucky with the lottery again, right after you died." Frank and Mary smiled the smile of conspiring siblings.

Frank and Mary sat and talked for a couple more hours, catching up on what was going on in their lives. Finally, Frank stood up and told Mary he had to leave. He gave Mary a hug and told her to move the key to the backdoor to a more obvious place. They laughed at the joke, hugged again then Frank slipped quietly into the night.

Mary stared out the window into the night for a long time after Frank left. A single tear rolled down her cheek. "Why did this have to happen now?" She asked herself. Then she turned out the lights and quietly went to bed, alone.