After Lloyd and Barry stopped by the concession stand, Lloyd decided on the nearby pier as the local for their conversation. That Thursday afternoon was quite the scorcher, but the reflective waves and the brisk air of the sea made all the heat more bearable. Together they stared across the loaded pier, watching as speckled seagulls flew overhead; peppering the skyline.

Barry, now eight years old, had chugged down his can of soda. With a look to his right, the boy soon took notice that Lloyd hadn’t touched his drink at all; not even opening it.

“You’re not gonna drink that, Leonard?” Barry asked.

“Oh, the pop? No son, really, I only bought it for you. I don't take to this stuff well.” Lloyd responded as he humorously inspected the properties of the can, including the so-called nutrition label. He then held out his hand to offer the drink to the boy.

“Want another? I won’t tell your mother…” he crooned.

More than any other moment in their detour, Barry was primed and ready to ask his burning question.

“Leonard, about what I wanted to talk about; It's about, well, it’s about your show.” Barry nonchalantly began to eye the soda can he just emptied, miming Lloyd’s inspection just to see if there was anything of actual issue his powerful brain could discern.

“Shoot, Barry! Ask me anything; heck, it all ends today doesn't it?! ‘All will be revealed.’ Hahahaha…” Lloyd continued to laugh with himself, finding his sudden mimicry of one of his own famous lines to be peak comedic timing.

“...Yeah, so; I’ve watched a few reruns, and… they weren’t bad; not bad at all…” Barry continued.

“But something always confused me about it. Why does it feel like when you get to the end of the episode; after all the flashbacks I mean; why does it seem that when he says his catchphrase…it’s like Blake somehow watched the whole thing with ya? Most’f the time he sounds awfully sad. It’s real eerie, Leonard…”

Lloyd was at once surprised and also highly amused. “So…you are a fan of Conundrum, aren’t you! That was quite insightful; I'm impressed!” Barry, though now feeling a bit impressed with himself as well, tried not to respond in kind.

Continuing on, Lloyd pondered his answer.

” Well…how about I put it this way. Yes, me and Powers, we wanted to make a picture that felt like that. No, there isn’t any trickery. But with what they call ‘framing’, you can make a regular scene seem truly, truly ominous.”

“Hmm, I guess that makes sense. But it’s kinda different in one episode I saw. I think the famous one that's called “Opal-esque?” The boy answered with relative excitement, making it seem that it was an episode he truly enjoyed.

“Yeah?” Lloyd stated as the grip of his smile loosened.

“In that one, you were really irate; I mean heated at the beginning! The ‘sherlock bit’ stood up to every reveal, I mean it had to be right! But it still seemed like in the end Blake had something to do with the murder…”

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Uh-huh…” Lloyd said, disaffected.

Barry’s excitement left him blind to the growing disinterest of Lloyd’s responses.

And so Barry continued. “A-and the one scene was why. It was real eerie, sir…where you reach the empty train station on the night of the crime, but we don't see the other side of the tracks. Just a slow closeup of your face in the wind as the train passes by- ”

“Watching my hands trembling as I try to plug up my ears to stop the raucous…yeah, yeah.” Lloyd said dramatically while miming the rest of Barry’s recollection of the story he had heard so often in full detail, complete with the hands acting that screams ‘what have I done.’

Hey, how’d they make that scene look so trippy? Why, you would’ve thought it was Hitchcock or somethin!” Barry said excitedly.

“Just a dolly zoo-wait; Beck lets you watch Hitchcock?” Lloyd, the concerned stepfather said; caught unaware.

“My theory is that the detective didn’t want to reveal what he saw 'cause he’s guilty.” Barry deduced while ignoring his stepfather’s inquiry.

Resituating his stance, Bartell fell silent for a bit before taking a look at his watch and setting his course back towards the lot; confusing the caffeinated boy. The man could but only string along a few more sentences on a topic which had so truly, thoroughly exhausted his spirit.

“There’s no theory,” said Lloyd sharply.

“Well, what do ya mean?” Barry asked.

“The title of the episode, son…, it has some meaning to it.” Lloyd continued.

“Opalesque? Isn’t that the material of the jewelry that was stolen in the process of the murder?” Barry asked inquisitively, turning to look at his stepfather.

“Well, yes…, and for another reason. Opalesque material; they are a bit see through, but only a bit. Kind of murky, you see. But they can change color when light shines and reflects through them” Lloyd’s answer was not clear enough even for that bright boy to understand, which he perceived through his befuddled expression.

“Everyone thinks they have some idea, some light they think they can shine on a man’s case to get to some sort of conclusion so it’ll all make sense somehow.” He stated self assuredly before turning to Barry in all seriousness.

“But really…half the time you and I don't even know why we do what we do; Even the nerd…- brilliant minds in the writing room don’t know at least a tenth of the crap they’re putting out is going to be taken another way…now they’ve even got people with so-called PhDs telling us why…!” The rambling continued.

“We’re murky creatures, Barry; every last one of us…” Lloyd’s eyes hardened wide as he stood rampaging along in his speech.

“So I say, to hell with the theories…! a crime is a crime, but a measure of a man is not fourty-five minutes….I refuse! You don’t get to see what he saw that night…Never; I refuse.” Lloyd exclaimed, adamantly.

“Wait, So it's not supposed to be solved, a-I thought that was the whole point, Leonard? Now I’m really confused…” Barry responded as he scratched underneath chin, now a bit frightened by the electrifying performance .

“Fifty-two.” Bartell said.

“More riddles? Ahhh…!”

“That’s how many episodes there were before that one. If you want the answer…I guess you’ll have to watch those ones too…” The actor said, now tired after wearing his energy thin on his soapbox of which he was quite impassioned .

“Gee, that’s mighty convenient for reruns, ain’t it?” For once, Barry put on a smile; though not without an air of mischief.

And soon, almost as if the boy realized his incongruent displays of emotion, he reverted back to more measured responses.

“Leonard, y’know that wasn’t my only question…but my mom wouldn’t allow me to…” The boy said, stringing along his plea.

“Go ahead son, but we’ll have to get going soon so make it short.”

“Are you really a murderer…like my father says?” Barry bravely queried.

Bartell’s heart sank.

“Do…I look like a murderer to you?” Unable to face the boy, he stood there rigidly.

“Pops says you can’t always tell when they're really crazy…but well I hope not mister…” Barry continued. “Because if you were to hurt mom, I wouldn’t keep mum…I-..I’d tell my pops on you..!”

Returning to center, the man turned around, and with swift strength, he picked up the boy…

“Aaaaah…!” Barry cried.

…And firmly sat him over his shoulders.

“That's just what I’d expect of ya, boy; a real man! Hahahahaha…” Lloyd continued. “But no, I'm no murderer as much as your pops n’ you care for Beck. Trust me, I know…!” He smiled brightly. “I, well, I married her after all!”

And so, they walked; mostly silently, back to the lot.

“Opalesque; you’re right. That episode…it's different…different.” Lloyd stated quietly, and with finality as his voice began to fade, leaving a trail of riddles that had hooked Barry from then on.

“For your mother’s sake, I hope you stay as innocent as a dove.” Bartell thought to himself.