Three years later
At a downtown Los Angeles theater, a packed audience watched the opening credits of the world premiere of “Muskman: Passion’s Revenge” as Russell’s voice sang the catchy theme song:
It’s Muskman, at dusk, man,
Who rights the wrongs of the heart,
And if you’re smart you’ll put your heart
In the hand of the man who wears the fuzz…
Muskman, at dusk, man…
The opening credits listed Ellie Lambert Olshevski as screenwriter and introduced Russell Owens as Muskman. Spencer Keys also received credit for creating the characters of Muskman, Penelope and Dex Druther, and Roger and Bonnie served as executive producers. In the first scene, Russell, dressed in civilian clothes, was gardening at a wealthy estate. As dusk approached, he lifted an eyebrow and cocked his head…love was in the air.
In the audience, Ellie Olshevski leaned over to her husband, Russell. “I love that look. You do the eyebrow thing so well.”
“Shh!” scolded Ethan, their two-year-old son, who was wearing a little Muskman costume.
Dee leaned over and patted her grandson’s hand, smiling at her son. He had found his soul mate, and she had found her talent. Dee was happy in her condo, and Russ had found a new home that meant more to him than the one he grew up in, because Ellie and Ethan were there. Life was good.
Also in the audience were Toni and Rob Russo, who had started their own business, T & R Detective Agency, a year and a half ago with not so surprising success. They had enjoyed their gambit in Las Vegas so much, they decided to make a living at it. They did a little divorce and surveillance work but also handled everything from suspected fraud to corporate espionage. Toni was in her element and Rob was, too. He looked years younger. That aluminum foil calibrating business must have been hard on him. The pair still demonstrated great love for each other and their daughter, who was looking at colleges that had good drama departments.
Sitting behind them were Wesley and Chantella with their toddler Dexter and baby Tessa. Ellie glanced over her shoulder and saw that Chantella was nursing Tessa. The young couple had undergone perhaps the biggest changes since the convention and the shutting down of Full Court Press. Chantella, who now had normal, short blond hair and dressed fairly conservatively, at least on TV, had become a weathergirl on the Casa Bella NBC affiliate. Wesley also had short hair now. He still liked his leather, though he had toned it down a bit, wearing a leather vest or leather accessories. Both Wesley and Chantella had given up their nose rings, not because they had become more conservative but for the simple reason that Dexter, as an infant, would latch onto the nose rings with a killer grip that was not so much cute as it was extremely painful. Wesley worked in his father’s auto repair shop during the day, while still pursuing his art. He already had sold one children’s book about medieval knights and had a contract for three more.
While the old friends enjoyed the Muskman premier, a four-alarm fire raged and spectators gazed in awe and horror as the Hubba Hubba warehouse in San Francisco burned to the ground. In his cell at High Desert State Prison in California, Sludge Dupree checked his watch and smiled. He should have some insurance money coming in soon. He didn’t know there was a flag at the police department on that location if anything suspicious happened. As Sludge lounged on his bed gloating, a call was already being put into the T & R Detective Agency in Bella Casa to investigate the fire. The agency was designated on the flag to ferret out the truth.
Across the pond in France, Roger and Spencer strolled along the Mediterranean beach, enjoying the mild surf and the feel of the sand between their toes. They had only taken a few steps when several adoring fans in skimpy bikinis approached them excitedly for autographs. Who brings paper and pens to the beach? Adoring fans, apparently. Spencer just looked at Roger and smiled. Roger smiled back. They might be old and a little bit the worse for wear, but they were gods.
Up ahead, Bonnie and Tiffy, their hair up in ponytails, were relaxing in beach chairs, Tiffy in a red bikini and Bonnie in a black one-piece suit with a filmy white coverup. Bonnie looked down the beach at the men, shaking her head, smiling, then turned to the younger woman.
“Hashtag, hand me a comic, would you, Tiffy?”
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