The members of Local Devastation had arrived in Hawaii, and when they contacted Neal to schedule time to rehearse, he invited them to join the Burke-Caffrey-Winslow family for dinner. Their group was so large the restaurant placed them in a private terrace, where they ate under the stars.
Peter had met Trevor Merchant, the group's drummer, over the summer during the Masterson Music case. Trevor loved being the center of attention and had plenty of stories to share to keep everyone entertained. That would have been more than enough to make it a memorable evening, but somewhat to Peter's consternation, guitarist Theo Guy took over the storytelling. Theo thanked Peter profusely for stopping Masterson Music's extortion scheme, which had threatened the recording studio he'd opened after retiring from his career as a rock musician.
Peter's parents, brother, and nieces were all fascinated by the story, and Neal helped fill in the blanks to make Peter sound like some kind of conquering hero. Any more praise and he was going to start blushing.
And then dessert arrived, and keyboardist/composer turned music professor Michael Darling started telling a story, with the help of his wife Tara. They described a time that Michael had received threatening messages and how he nearly left his wife and daughter in order to protect them because he didn't think anyone in law enforcement would take the threats seriously. "When Neal dropped in on a choir practice out of the blue and told me he had connections in the FBI, I was convinced it was a Christmas miracle," Michael said.
"We called Neal our Christmas angel," Tara added, "like Clarence in 'It's a Wonderful Life.' If he hadn't convinced Peter to investigate, I hate to think what would have happened. After Peter told us what they'd discovered..." She leaned against her husband and smiled mistily. "It saved our marriage."
Now Peter was certain he was blushing. His family looked so impressed, he didn't have the heart to tell them that the "case" he'd taken on for the Darlings had barely been a case at all. In normal circumstances he wouldn't have agreed to work it, but it had been the first case Neal had brought to the FBI, and it had seemed important to keep the kid engaged and learning FBI procedures while they worked out the details for officially granting him immunity and hiring him. El had heard Peter's much more plainspoken version of the story a year ago, but she clearly found Tara's version captivating. She smiled at Tara and then looked up at Peter in approval. "Our hero. Solving cases and saving marriages."
"It wasn't like that." He felt he had to protest. "A little deductive reasoning and pulling in the IT department to analyze the emails after Neal saw the pattern. It's the job."
"Oh, I think it's much more heroic than you realize."
"Neal's the one with the romantic streak and white knight tendencies. I just get dragged along." But Peter gave up because he could tell El was not going to budge from her belief that he was a hero.
Fortunately lead singer Ty Merchant didn't have any embarrassing stories to add, and the meal wrapped up as the Darlings' four-year-old daughter fell asleep. Neal and Henry had been amusing her with some sleight-of-hand, but she'd been too exhausted to stay awake any longer.
Back up in the suite with El, Peter said, "Neal's good with kids."
"It certainly seems so," she agreed. "But I take it from your tone there's something more behind this announcement."
"I've been trying to puzzle out what's been bothering him recently. He won't say exactly what it is, but today he did admit it's tied to the anniversary of my recruiting him."
"That coincides with the anniversary of the case with the Darlings," El added. "But he didn't seem uncomfortable around them."
"No, he seemed at ease, like they were distracting him from whatever it is." Peter sat down on the bed. "I keep asking myself if it's my fault."
El sat beside him. "Why would you think that?"
"I've been pushing him all year. Fit in at the Bureau. Make friends. Connect with his family. Enroll in Columbia. Meet a nice girl. Put down roots."
"You wanted to counter his flight instinct. You helped him see he has a home that has a pull at least as strong as his need to escape when things go wrong. That stability has been good for him."
"But it's also alien to him. If I pushed him too far, too fast, would he worry where I'll push him next? Maybe he'll feel tied down and react against that by wanting to escape? I wonder if at the end of this vacation he'll decide he can't face going back to all of the ties and obligations he has in New York."
El looked sad. "Do you really think he feels that way?"
"I don't know, hon. He can be hard to read. But I'm wondering, if he decides to quit the job and says goodbye at the end of this trip, should I try to change his mind? Part of me says I should respect his decision if that's what he wants, but another part says he's our friend and needs to hear how much we'd miss him."
"He puts a lot of value in his relationship with you and your opinion of him." El thought for a minute. "What I think is that if he really wants to go, he'll leave a note and slip away. If he actually talks to you, and says goodbye in person, it means that he's giving you the chance to change his mind."
Peter wasn't a music fanatic the way the Caffreys were, but for the next several days a pop tune kept running through his head: "Change Your Mind" by the Killers.
###
Neal thought singer Ty Merchant had been unusually quiet during dinner, and the next day he learned why. Ty was recovering from strep throat.
"He's not contagious anymore," Ty's brother-in-law Michael Darling assured Neal, Henry, and Angela. "We wouldn't have let him fly if we thought he'd get others sick. It's just that his throat is still sore and he goes on tour soon for his latest solo album, so we want him to take it easy for the New Year's Eve performance. Back when we signed up to perform here, we were going to use the three of you as our backup singers, but now I'm wondering if you're up for a bigger role."
Michael suggested that each cousin could sing a song with Ty. "You can carry the tune if he loses his voice for a couple of notes, and we could even have you alternate singing the lead on the verses. And this one," he pulled out the sheet music for one of the Grammy-winning songs he'd composed, "has a lot of falsetto in it. I've always wanted to hear it performed by a soprano. Angela, if you think you could handle the lead vocals, we'd put you in the spotlight and I'd harmonize with you. That would give Ty a break in the middle of the concert."
Fortunately all three members of Urban Legend were fans of Local Devastation and knew the songs already. The rehearsals on the 29th and 30th went smoothly, and they were relaxed going into the performance New Year's Eve.
The day of the event, they met after an early lunch to check out the venue. They'd be performing on a low stage that had been constructed on the beach. A metal framework covered by tarps and threaded with vines supported cameras and most of the electrical equipment, and also would minimize the glare of the sun on the ocean. Even though the performance would be aired live late at night in New York, it would be mid-afternoon in Hawaii.
Ninety minutes before the performance, Trevor threw a curveball at them. "That last number is still popular at dance clubs. We should use that. The stage isn't more than a foot high. We'll jump off at the start of the last verse, and dance through the crowd. They'll join in, and it'll be awesome television."
He was right, but the lack of preparation worried some of the others. "If we leave the stage, it means leaving the instruments. We'll be singing a capella," Michael pointed out. "I don't know if the microphones they've rigged up will carry our voices if we wander too far away. They're expecting us to stay on stage, and the range is probably limited."
"We get the crowd to sing along," Trevor said. "Plenty of voices. The mics'll pick that up. It'll be great."
"It sounds great for the fans, but I'm not much of a dancer," said Theo. "You know I always avoided choreography when we went on tour."
"You'd have to keep it simple," Henry agreed. "If the audience doesn't know what's coming, they need something they can pick up right away."
"What if we planted some dancers in the audience?" Neal suggested. "It would look good if Tara joins her husband. I'm sure Joe's daughters would be willing to fall in step with us, if we tell them what to expect."
"The song reminds me of 'Footloose,'" Angela added. "There's a dance number to that song at the end of the movie. I remember the cast moving in a group at the very end, like this." She demonstrated the steps. "We don't have to add any fancy stuff. Just keep moving forward, maybe going around the stage so we don't get too far from the sound equipment." She glanced toward the stage. Sound technicians were currently testing the audio. "I'll find out if they can pick up our voices when we're offstage."
"That's it. We've got a plan." Trevor loped off toward a beachside bar for a drink to celebrate.
"Why can't he ever have these brainstorms a day in advance? Twenty-four hours to prepare. Is that too much to ask?" Theo complained.
Ty slapped him on the back. "It's just one performance. You'll get through it."
"C'mon," said Neal to Theo. "I see Rosalind and Viola. You can practice with us."
The sisters were thrilled at the idea, and happily practiced the steps with Neal, Henry, and Theo. Angela joined in a minute later, and then Irene wandered over. She stepped between Rosalind and Viola, taking their hands. "Like this," she said, showing them how to put a little more sway in their steps. Before becoming a movie star, she'd been in the chorus line for several musicals, and she still loved dancing.
Noelle joined in, pulling Joe along with her in a cha-cha. He kept the steps basic, but she swirled around him, laughing. Elizabeth did the same with Peter, and Michael Darling joined in with his wife and daughter. Loving a crowd, Trevor Merchant ran into the middle and danced enthusiastically, even if the steps were rough. Edmund came in to twirl a laughing Irene around. And the Pied Piper effect was in full force. Kids on the beach came to see what was happening and followed along. The older ones picked up the steps, and the younger ones simply jumped around merrily. A camera crew was already in place. They wanted to film clips of the bands setting up, to show as promos for the upcoming concert. They captured a few moments of the impromptu dance and the network showed it many times throughout the day. Noelle asked them for a copy of the footage, laying on the charm and explaining she was there for her wedding. The crew agreed to send her a copy, and she told Neal it would become a popular part of future holidays, showing the Burkes and Caffreys indulging in pure, madcap fun. "I feel like our families have truly bonded now," she said. She kissed his cheek. "May I have the pleasure of a dance with you at my wedding reception?"
"I'd be honored," Neal said. Then he looked up and saw Joe approaching. "That is, if the groom is willing to let you dance with anyone else."
"I've got two left feet," said Joe. "I'll be happy to let someone else take the limelight on the dance floor occasionally. Meanwhile, can I buy you a drink, Neal? That hut over there is supposed to have the best shakes and smoothies on the island."
"Sure." Neal was surprised that Noelle didn't follow. He quickly concluded that they'd set this up so Joe could talk to him alone. After getting two pineapple-banana smoothies, they walked out toward the ocean. Even though there were many people on the beach, the sound of the surf muted their voices and gave them a measure of privacy. "There's something you want to talk about?"
Joe nodded, his expression serious and sincere. "I understand the repercussions of what your father did, and the dangers you face. I know that means I can't go around telling people you're my stepson. Noelle's been saying that this vacation is like an escape to Oz, so before we head back to Kansas, I wanted a chance to say that I'm honored to have you as part of the Burke family. I'm sure you know how much Noelle loves you, and how proud she is of you."
"Yeah, I know."
"I also know that Peter feels a lot like she does. He's proud of you. He's called me several times for advice about being a father figure, especially over the summer. You think of him as a dad sometimes, and me marrying Noelle... What I'm trying to say is, I don't see that as changing things. Peter's still going to be like a dad to you, and that's fine with me. I'm glad, actually. It's good to know Peter's there in New York to keep an eye on you and to help you out if you need advice." Joe grinned. "But if the reason you need advice is because Peter's annoying you, we can commiserate."
Neal grinned back. Then he asked, "Did you have a similar talk with Henry?"
"The I'm-not-trying-to-replace-your-dad speech? I accepted Noelle's help with that one. We talked to Henry before leaving the mainland. It wasn't anything he didn't already know, but it still felt right to say it. There's something about saying things out loud, saying it to someone else... I'm not sure what term the psychologists in the family would use, but I'd say it's powerful. It makes things real."
"That sounds scary," said Neal.
"You'd think so, but when something's real, you can deal with it. It's the terrors of the imagination that are hard to fight, because they don't have a shape. They keep changing on you."
"You're sure you didn't get a degree in psychology?" Neal asked.
"I raised two smart, strong young women. As a parent you pick up a lot as you go." He gestured toward the hotel. "Ready to head back?"
"Yeah." They walked up the slope and Neal returned to his role as a singer and guitarist for Urban Legend.
But in free moments, his mind kept returning to what Joe had said. Maybe, if he told Peter what was troubling him, it wouldn't seem as bad as he feared.
###
The performance went off smoothly, and dancing into the crowd worked out, even if it didn't have the same joyful spontaneity as their practice session. And Tara wasn't there. The Darlings' little girl was running a fever, and Tara stayed with her in the hotel room.
There were New Year's Eve parties scheduled on the beach well into the night, but the grandparents in the group wanted something a little quieter. Coming off of a raucous rock performance, even the youngest generation was satisfied with a plan to chill out. Graham and Julia Winslow had rented a yacht, and the families joined them on board for a luxurious picnic dinner. Then they relaxed under the stars and watched the fireworks.
"I always think the best view of fireworks is on the water," Graham said. "You get the color in the sky, and the reflection on the ocean."
Neal agreed. "Fourth of July on your sailboat was amazing." The fireworks in the sky that summer had been impressive, and sparring with Sara Ellis had been fun. For a while he'd thought there was a spark between them, but it was obvious she hadn't agreed because she'd started dating Bryan soon afterward.
He put those thoughts aside. Noelle had said New Year's should be for looking forward to the future. Tomorrow was Joe and Noelle's wedding. The day after that he'd talk Adrian Tulane out of stealing the pearls. Then he'd hang out on the beach and enjoy the tropical warmth.
He cleared his throat and reached into the cooler for a bottle of water. Out of practice singing that much, he told himself, even if it was a short performance compared to what they used to do. Maybe the smoke from the fireworks had drifted in their direction?
The water did the trick, and he turned his attention to annoying Henry. "You're really going to accept the title of poker champion by default because I was called away by work?"
"I'm rather confused by the fact that a poker tournament was held with only half of our group," Julia Winslow said. "Why don't the women have a game now, and the top two women can play the top two men for the championship?"
Relaxed from the busy day, a great meal, and champagne, everyone agreed and Julia produced cards and chips. It wasn't until after she handily beat them all that Neal remembered what he'd been told that summer: Julia had been the one who taught Henry and his father how to play.