|
Post by papaof2 on Nov 27, 2019 19:04:08 GMT -6
More "Whodunit" than PAW, but it's just eight chapters. Maybe you can stand it that long ;-)
Chapter 1
Tuesday, 15 June, 10:20AM
What's that sign up ahead?
'Welcome to Peaceful Valley'
'Population 2613'
Well, having been convicted of misdemeanor spousal rape eight years ago on the perjured testimony of my then soon-to-be ex-wife, I'll have to see if their 'welcome' applies to someone on the Sex Offender Registry. First stop is the Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Thomas Stanford, to let them know I'm here and see what transpires from there.
"Katherine, stop climbing the cell door! Can I help you, sir?"
"I'm looking for a place to live but I'm on the Sex Offender Registry…"
"Katie! Not in the trash can! Sorry, sir, but Katie, the Mayor's granddaughter, and her parents, the Mayor's son Josh and his wife Malorie, were kidnapped last year. The parents were killed and Katie was held captive for nine months. We're not sure of all that happened to her but she's sometimes almost a wild animal and she's afraid of most people, especially men. Do you have your paperwork from the previous location?"
"Here."
"Have a seat while I check it."
She's approaching me?
She stops about three feet away, studying me with her head tilted to the left and a very serious expression for a child that young.
Then she takes a step closer and repeats the studying and that serious expression but with her head tilted to the right. Did I only shave half my face today? Do I have grape jelly on my nose from the toast I had with breakfast?
She's tugging at my sleeve?
"Hello, Katherine. I'm Mr. Wilson."
She has her arms up to be picked up?
"You want me to pick you up?"
Nods her head.
"You want in my lap?"
"Lap, yes."
"Mr. Wilson, I need to call the Mayor but I'm certain we have a place for you."
"I don't understand."
"Katie hasn't spoken in the three months since we found her but she wanted you to pick her up and she spoke to you. The doctors weren't sure if she'd ever speak again."
"I was just sitting here and…"
"We've discovered that she can… well, I guess you'd call it 'read' people. She trusts her grandparents, an aunt and me. As you can tell from the level of dirt on her, she's nearly impossible to get into a bathtub so we wonder if someone held her head under until she almost drowned. Would you consider a full time job as her guardian? That's what I need to call the Mayor about."
"Let me ask Katherine some questions."
"Go ahead."
"Katherine, would you let me wash your hair so I can see what color it is?"
She responds with a nod.
"And wash the rest of you and put clean clothes on you?"
"Un huh."
"That seals it. I'll call the Mayor and we'll get you moved in within the hour."
"What about rent and utilities?"
"You get Katie bathed and dressed and those things covered for as long as you want to stay here."
---
'… That's his background and she's asleep in his lap right now, Mayor. Get the keys to one of the better properties and come look. Have Mildred put out the full set of linens and some clothes for Katie. There are some conditions but nothing you can't live with.'
'You're sure, Tom?'
'Yes. I wouldn't trust my niece to just anyone but she chose him…'
'She chose?'
'Tugged his sleeve for attention. Raised her arms to be picked up. When he asked if she wanted in his lap she said "Lap, yes"…'
'She spoke?'
'For the third time! YES, she spoke to him!'
'Mildred, go ready what was the manager's doublewide near the back of the park for occupancy. The place with the swings and the kiddie pool. Tom, Mildred and Alice are headed for that lot now. I'll be at your office in five minutes. I need to call Judge Taylor about the paperwork for removal from the Registry. He'll meet with us there. Tell the man I said "Thank you".'
'Will do, Carl.'
"Mr. Wilson…"
"Call me Jack."
"OK, Jack. The Mayor is on his way here. His wife and daughter are fixing up a place for you to live. The Mayor recognized the name of your former wife's attorney and is aware that he has been disbarred for things done in your case. The Mayor's brother-in-law is a judge and he'll bring the paperwork for you to sign to get you off the Registry."
"But why? I just responded to a child in need."
"Tom, let me answer that."
"OK, Mr. Mayor."
"Mr. Wilson…"
"Call me Jack."
"OK, Jack. I'm Carl Thompson, Katie's grandfather, Mayor of Peaceful Valley, owner of the seed and feed and our one mobile home park, and the undertaker when needed. We're a little town and we're not rich, except in family. You may not have had any local connections before today, but Katie bonding with you like this means you have a big family now. I hope you find us a good enough family to stay for a long time."
"But…"
"I'm aware of your problems with the law but that will be resolved. Judge Taylor uses your case in his 'Introduction to Law' class at the nearest college and it's been thoroughly researched and documented over time. Your ex-wife was careless about money?"
"Yes. She'd get subscriptions services like Netflix or Hulu, tire of it in a month or so and never cancel it."
"That worked to your advantage. She gave one of her old phones to her niece Ashley…"
"Ashley'd be about 14 now. Tell me what that girl with insatiable curiosity found."
"Lots of texts and emails with three lovers, plus texts and emails with her best friend about how she and her lawyer would railroad you in the divorce proceedings. The judge was one of her lovers. Your record should be cleared in a matter of a week so. "
"How do I thank you?"
"You don't. We're thanking you for giving Katie back to us. A five-year-old who never speaks and avoids physical contact is now in a man's lap and speaking to him, something we had little hope of ever seeing happen. She's willing for you to give her a bath when she runs from anyone else a wet washcloth. I have no idea what connection the two of you have, but it's priceless to us. Mildred and Alice are getting the doublewide ready and they should be finished by the time Roy - Judge Taylor - gets here and you sign the needed papers."
"Thank you."
Katie gets her lips near my ear and whispers.
"Where's the restroom? Katherine just asked 'Potty?'"
"Not in the trash can? That's a big change! It's the second door on the left."
Wiping that bit of moisture left a clean spot on her skin… She's pulling at my shirt?
"Yes, Katherine?"
"Not naked?"
"You want my shirt?"
"Un huh."
"I think giving you the tee shirt under this shirt might be better as it's not as long and it won't drag the floor when you wear it."
"OK. You 'splain good."
"Tom, she's carrying on a conversation!"
"That's what I said, Carl. I don't know if Jack is related to an ancient English guy named Merlin but he's for sure a wizard with Katie."
"Tom, he doesn't call her 'Katie'. He always says 'Katherine'. Do you think the kidnappers knew enough about her to call her 'Katie' and that's why she never responded to most of us when we said 'Katie'?"
"Someone local did that?"
"How else would you explain it?"
---
"I live with you, Mr. Wilson?"
"For now. There might be somewhere else you want to live in the future. Let's go see where my new house is."
"OK."
"She's clothed?"
"She asked 'Not naked?' so I gave her my tee shirt. It doesn't quite drag on the floor."
"Came as quick as I could, Carl. Where's Katie?"
"Roy, take a closer look at the kid wearing the over-sized shirt and sitting in Jack Wilson's lap - the kid that you walked by when you came in."
"Clothed? In a man's lap? You sure his name isn't Merlin and this isn't all some magic imagery?"
"Industrial Light and Magic isn't working here today. He's real. She talks with him. She asked for the shirt."
"Very pleased to meet you, Jack. Just need your signature in four places to start this paperwork up the line. Most of the people involved in your case, law enforcement and the judiciary, are so terrified of being sued over the errors and obvious red flags in the case that this will be processed with the speed of a California wildfire."
"OK, that's done."
"Then I'll take these to the District Court. Bye, Katie."
She was fine in my lap until she heard 'Bye, Katie' from him. Was it the words or the speaker that made her shiver and hug me tighter? File that away for future reference and maybe some head-on-my-shoulder conversation later.
"If the place is ready, I think Katherine needs a bath and some clothes that fit."
"Un huh."
"Here's the key, Jack. Until the kidnapping, most folks around here never locked anything but that's changed. Park is on the right about a half mile East of here. Take Road 1 all the way to the back and it's Lot 1. Hard to miss as it's the only doublewide back there."
"Thanks, Mayor…"
"Call me Carl. If I see Katie in little girl clothes with bows in her hair, you can say 'Hey, you' and I'll come running."
"OK, Carl. Katherine, my truck's out front. You'll be in the back seat because kids are safer there."
"OK."
"What's in the trailer, Jack?"
"Carl, those are things I've explored for the 'End of Civilization as We Know It' stories that I write. I've published several books and the solar power, rainwater collection, water filtering, clothes washing, long term storage foods and other things mentioned in the books are things I've actually done on at least a small scale."
"I could have lighting in the shed out back for just 20 minutes a day for less than the $1800 one of the local electricians wants to run full time power out there, including tunneling for conduit under a double driveway?"
"Last one I put together was less than $300 and could provide 40 minutes of light a day every day in summer or three days a week in winter but some of the parts came from China so there's a three or four week wait."
"Sold! Here's $300. If prices are up since the last time you bought the stuff - could be with the new tariffs - just let me know and I'll cover it. You tell me when you have the pieces and I'll get one of the boys to do any ladder work that's needed. You have paper copies of those books?"
"Only the first one is available in paperback, but all are available in ebook format. I'm considering creating paper of all of them but that requires some time to do the formatting, such as ensuring that each chapter starts on the right hand page…"
"Never thought of that. You must put in some blank pages to make it look right."
"Correct. Writing fiction is interesting, as you don't always know what the characters are going to do next. Until you start doing the formatting, you don't appreciate how much time it takes to do the boring parts."
"If you need a proofreader, Mildred loves to read and she's a retired teacher."
"Then she's probably a good one for spotting wrong names, places, relationships and all sorts of things the word processing software doesn't know anything about. Does she have a 'per word' charge?"
"When she sees Katie dressed, it'll all be paid in advance."
---
|
|
|
Post by misterjimbo on Nov 27, 2019 20:51:28 GMT -6
I hope you and all your family have a very pleasant Thanksgiving. Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by 9idrr on Nov 27, 2019 21:00:48 GMT -6
Didn't take long for our boy Jack to find a way to fit right in.
|
|
|
Post by catspaw65 on Nov 27, 2019 22:50:00 GMT -6
Another new story! Yay!
|
|
|
Post by texican on Nov 28, 2019 0:33:53 GMT -6
pp2,
Thanks for the start of a new story....
After numerous stories it is apparent that Jack Wilson is your alter ego....
Texican....
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Nov 28, 2019 8:57:46 GMT -6
Cool beans. A new story.
|
|
|
Post by papaof2 on Nov 28, 2019 16:42:08 GMT -6
Chapter 2
Tuesday, 15 June, 11:50AM
"Bath time, Katherine."
"Bubbles, Mr. Wilson?"
"Not this time. Bubbles don't stay when you put a dirty body in them and they will make your 'owies' sting. This time we get you clean from head to foot and next time you may have bubbles."
"OK."
"'Mr. Wilson' sounds like a teacher. Would you rather call me 'Mister Jack' or 'Uncle…"
"No Uncle!"
"Mister Jack is OK?"
"Un huh."
"I think this might be your room, with the pink curtains and the pink sheets on the bed. Do you like any of the clothes on the bed?"
"Mickey!"
"OK, we'll start with the Mickey underwear. Minnie tank top…"
"No! No!"
"Tell me why."
"Marks show."
"What marks?"
"You see after bath."
"OK. Mickey shorts and tee shirt?"
"Un huh."
"To the bathroom. Do you always get a bath in the tub or a shower?"
"No tub!"
"Tub of water has bad memories?"
"Un huh!"
"Handheld shower OK?"
"Un huh."
"Tee shirt off and I stand you on the rubber mat in the tub so it's not slippery. Water on. You put your fingers in it and tell me if it's just right."
"Un huh."
"Now I'm going to move your head so you won't get shampoo in your eyes or nose. Remember to breathe through your mouth. Close your eyes. You can hold your nose if you want to. Don't lick around your lips or you might bring shampoo into your mouth. Ready?"
"Un huh."
"Water on your hair. Your hair is very dirty so it will need washing more than once. Shampoo on my hands and into your hair. The water that's running off is almost black. Open your eyes just a little bit and look straight down."
"Yuck!"
"I'll rinse this shampoo out and lather your hair again. And I'll use my fingertips to massage your scalp and get all the dead skin loose."
"Feels good."
"Yes, it does. I like that too. Open your eyes a little bit and look down at the lather."
"It's clean!"
"Much cleaner than before. Close your eyes and I'll rinse this. Then just a little more shampoo and it should give us lots of white lather and some blond hair."
"OK."
"Last rinse. I'll also be getting behind your ears and I'll be getting the rest of you wet for washing. As long as it's been since you were thoroughly washed, I'll be using this soft plastic scrubber to get the dead skin off. Tell me if there are sore places that I need to be extra gentle with because I won't be able to see those places through the dirt."
"You 'splain good. Here and here and here and here."
Under her arms, at the top of her thighs, the places she's not done a good job with the paperwork when she needs to potty and between her toes. Gentle touch on those places, maybe just the coarse washcloth and look her over well after the first wash and rinse. As I wash her back, I can feel and see why she didn't want a tank top. These scars are big and deep. She won't be wearing a two piece swim suit unless she's with someone who knows her history and they can keep fresh sunblock on these places. As I wash further down, I can see other marks. That looks like burn scar but it's shaped like a belt buckle. Who would heat a buckle that hot and use it on a kid's butt cheek? No idea who did this but I do have some ideas on proper payback. Phone out for a picture of that one just in case I ever see that buckle. An inch below the buckle would be a good target for a half dozen rounds of hollow point.
Rinse her off and she's having fun in the spray. Turn it to massage…
"Tickles!"
She's smiling so I made bath time fun.
"One more soap and rinse. This time with the lavender soap you liked the smell of. It might irritate the tender places so I'll dab a little here…"
"Umph!"
"OK. Rinse that off and go back to the stuff that doesn't smell as good but doesn't hurt when it touches your 'owies'."
"You're nice."
"Just taking care of the pretty little girl I found under all that dirt."
"Not pretty. Ugly. Useless. Stupid."
"Who said that?"
"Un… He'll hurt me again!"
"No, he won't. Not if you're with me. He might try but I'd kill him or die trying."
"I love you."
"You too, pretty girl."
"Not pre…"
"Yes, you are. Let's get you out of the tub and dried off and dressed. Then we get your hair dried and maybe curled a little and some bows in your hair."
"So you can make movies of people doing things with me?"
"So I can show your family what a pretty girl you are. Let's get all that done and I'll call your Grandpa and see if we can visit them."
"You with me?"
"Whenever you want me to be."
"Always, Mister Jack."
---
Ring!
'Thompson Seed and Feed. This is Carl.'
'Carl, it's Jack. I have someone you haven't seen in a long time. Meet me at the diner about 5?'
'I should bring Mildred?'
'Yes.'
'See you there. I'll let the boys close up today.'
---
"Mildred, he drives an older blue truck."
"That one?"
"That's it."
"She's riding in the back seat?"
"And under a seat belt."
"He does work magic, Carl. I'll invite him for supper tomorrow. I don't know what rewards you have planned but he's gonna eat like a king!"
"How'd he do that? She looks just like that school picture from before the kidnapping. Mildred, is there something wrong with her legs…"
"No. That's something little kids do. It's called skipping. And she grabs his hand in both of hers and swings from it. She's acting like a typical five-year-old. And she's singing the 'ABC' song!"
"So much for the doctors who thought she'd never speak."
"Jack, what did you do with Katie?"
"I don't know about your Katie but my Katherine is a pretty neat kid."
"Hi, Katie."
"Hi, Grandma."
"A moment with you, Jack?"
"Yes, Carl?"
'The name used is part of it?'
'Perhaps someone who knew her only as 'Katie' was involved?'
'But who?'
'I'll give you a note about my suspicions later.'
'OK.'
---
"Katherine, remember that I said about fingers, forks and spoons."
"Yes, Mister Jack. Spoon better than fingers with ravioli."
"That's my smart girl."
"Like being your girl."
"You're already into table manners?"
"Just doing what's 'normal' for kids this age."
"We tried so hard to be 'considerate' of her but she really needed to be treated like a typical kid?"
"In most things. I did give her the option of tub bath versus shower. She chose shower…"
"Someone did hold her head under?"
"She hasn't said, but she was smiling in the shower when I got her ribs with the 'massage' setting of the handheld shower."
"Bath time being fun obviously hasn't happened in a long time. Thank you, Jack."
"She did better than that. She said 'I love you'."
"First time she's said that word. I haven't seen the wizard hat but you must be descended from Merlin."
"No, I'm just gentle and patient and most kids respond to that."
"Here's the deed to the doublewide and the land it's on. You'd have earned that if you left now but I can tell you're committed to being there for Katie… I should say Katherine, shouldn't I?"
"She feels safer with 'Katherine' than with 'Katie' so I think you should."
"I'll tell Mildred but tell her to keep it quiet until we know who…"
"Jack, you're invited to supper at our house tomorrow. Be there at seven."
"Yes, ma'am."
"You were raised in the South?"
"North Alabama, between Gadsden and Fort Payne."
"I thought so. You'll be teaching Katie to say 'ma'am' and 'sir'?"
"I will."
"That's a good thing. Carl, you wanted to be at work early in the morning for that big delivery so we should head home."
"Yes, dear. Bye, Katherine."
"Bye, Grandpa."
"Bye, Katie."
"Bye."
"My sweet girl also needs to be in bed soon."
"Ice cream?"
"There's not any in the freezer at home but the IGA is still open so I'll stop there for ice cream and maybe something extra."
"Extra?"
"You'll find out. Walk by me and hold my hand or in the buggy?"
"Hand."
"OK. To the freezer aisle and the good vanilla. Then to the end of the aisle and the toppings…"
"Dark?"
"You like the dark syrup?"
"Un huh."
"Me too. Now to the checkout."
"Muddy?"
"What's muddy?"
"These."
"Chex 'Muddy Buddies', Brownie flavor. I think you might be a chocoholic, little girl."
That got some giggles. What a great sound!
"Did you find everything, sir?"
"Everything but a cage for this one, Linda."
"I don't think your pretty girl will need a cage until she's 13 or 14 and that will be to keep the boys away. Your total is $11.73."
"Here's a 20."
"$8.27"
"She's faster than the register!"
"I didn't know my smart girl could do money arithmetic."
"Not here?"
"OK, Katherine. When you want to tell me about it."
"Katherine is a pretty name. One of my great-grandmothers was a Katherine."
---
Katherine's choice of "I Love You to the Moon and Back" for her bedtime story brought some tears and a little bit of her history: "Daddy always read that to me." She's in Minnie pajamas; the biggest difference from what she had on earlier is they are a little bigger. We could probably get one size larger in any of her play clothes and call them pajamas. I'll keep that in mind if she mentions any favorites. With Daylight Savings Time active, she's in bed before dark. That's OK. Mildred mentioned that Katherine sometimes has bad dreams and occasionally has more than one in a given night. I left the sound-activated audio recorder by her bed. If there are soft sounds that I don't hear, especially if her bad dream starts after I'm asleep, then I'll have those previous minutes that might tell me much more than the wails or screams of a nightmare. Being in bed early means she'll get a reasonable amount of sleep even if she has a bad dream or two. She wanted a goodnight kiss on her forehead. My new 'little girl' is a joy to have. I had planned to work on one of my books tonight but I think I'll just make notes of things that seemed a little off today.
- Katherine went rigid when Judge Taylor said "Bye, Katie". Was it a male voice saying that or his voice saying that and did her being in my lap figure into it?
- For a five-year-old, she has savant-level money math skills. Something she learned playing 'store' or from some other source? Her 'Not here' response to me tells me it probably wasn't playing store, so how would she have been exposed to that much money processing?
- She doesn't want to be in a container of water - no tub bath - but being in the tub itself wasn't a problem when she got the shower. Was she dunked or held under in some other water container? Kiddie pool? (possibly not deep enough?) Swimming pool? (not many of those around here) Pond or lake? (lots of those) Stock tank? (lots of those, but obvious in the middle of a field) Vat at some industrial location? (need to ask about any active or abandoned sites)
I should ask Carl and Tom about any wealth on either side of her ancestry. Cash? Coins? Jewelry? Stocks? Bonds? Land? That last one might be important out here with discussions in progress about the potential new Interstate highway and the search for a remote airport site. Is any part of this county one of the new 'possibly oil-bearing' locations? Would she have known about any of it? That depends on how much her parents included her in their discussions. I have a feeling that she had insatiable curiosity before the kidnapping so she would have asked. Need to ask Carl and Mildred about that also. With her aversion to "Uncle", I need a complete family tree up both sides and a list of any friends of the family that might have been called "Uncle". Add that to my list of things from other people. Add questions about the money math and 'Not here' to my list of things to ask Katherine tomorrow.
Time for me to be in bed, so lock the doors, activate the alarm system I added and go brush and floss.
---
|
|
|
Post by texican on Nov 28, 2019 18:29:01 GMT -6
The bad guys and gals are in for a world of hurt as they are identified by Jack....
Thanks pp2 for the chapter....
Texican....
|
|
|
Post by bluefox2 on Nov 28, 2019 18:44:10 GMT -6
some bodies (yes it is meant to be plural) fixin to die ugly.
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Nov 29, 2019 8:11:11 GMT -6
Send um to the pen where child abusers so well loved over and over.
|
|
|
Post by papaof2 on Nov 29, 2019 17:54:12 GMT -6
Chapter 3
Wednesday, 16 June, 12:10AM
"I don't know! Don't hit me! Ow! Don't hit me again! Ow!"
Did someone she encountered during the day trigger this nightmare? First settle her, then ask questions.
"Katherine. Katherine. It's Mister Jack. I'll squeeze your toe so you know it's me. Katherine…"
"Huh? Mister Jack? Why are you here?"
"My sweet girl was having a bad dream so I came to wake her and let her tell me all about it."
"But he'll…"
"Not where I am. Pistol on this side. Shotgun on this side. Katherine in my lap in the middle. He can't hurt you here. Tell me about your dream."
"He took me to an old mine. It had 'dutch' or something on the sign. He kept asking me where the maps were and he'd hit me when I said I didn't know. He made me do money counting every day and he'd use the belt if I got it wrong. One day he got real mad when I counted out the money and he'd got the amount wrong and that's the time he put the belt buckle on the stove and tied me to the table and used pliers to hold it on my butt! It hurt but he wouldn't stop! I screamed and then everything went dark. When I woke up with something cold on my butt, he was asking 'Are you alive?' He still used the belt on my back but he never did the buckle thing again."
"Tell me about him."
"He's about your size. He wears fancy clothes most of the time. He said I always had to say 'Sir' to him. He has green eyes."
"What's his name, Katherine?"
"I can't! He said he'd kill Grandpa!"
"Do you know where he lives?"
"On a farm with horses cause he sometimes came to the mine on a horse and sometimes on an ATV. He said other people couldn't hear the horse and the horse did better on the hills when it was muddy. He even rode a donkey a couple of times."
"Did anyone ever come with him?"
"Lots of times. That's when he'd clean me up and dress me fancy and tell me I had a new 'uncle' that I had to be nice to but none of them were nice to me! What they did hurt!"
"Do you know who any of those people were?"
"I saw one working at the diner. I had to call him 'Uncle George'."
"Thank you, sweet girl. Think you could go back to sleep now?"
"Rock me?"
"Yes. You snuggle in and my arms around you and I'll rock you as long as you need."
Five minutes and she's asleep. Ease her down and pull up the sheet.
I didn't see a 'George' at the diner but there was a 'Jorge' who was busing tables. My list may have gotten much longer but I think there are still some closer possibilities. Need to ask around during the day tomorrow - guess that's later today.
---
|
|
|
Post by texican on Nov 29, 2019 18:57:17 GMT -6
The list is being expanded....
Thanks pp2 for the chapter....
Texican....
|
|
|
Post by papaof2 on Nov 30, 2019 18:12:05 GMT -6
Chapter 4
Wednesday, 16 June, 6:30AM
We made it through the night with only the one bad dream. I'll ask Mildred to keep Katherine for a while so I can do some research and listen to the tape from last night. I'm interested in any words that came before she was loud enough to wake me and anything after she was back asleep that wasn't bad enough to wake her. Probably about two or three hours. Nice that the state-wide "No license open carry everywhere" legislation went into effect on March 1st so I can go visibly armed. I don't plan to be doing "gun to your head" interrogation but I want the people I speak with to know that I am dead serious about the things I'm asking.
A bad night should get a comfort food breakfast so pancakes, bacon and hot chocolate ready before I call her. They're all done and at the same time.
In her room and speak before I touch her.
"Katherine. Breakfast. Pancakes for my sweet girl."
"Hi, Mister Jack. Pancakes? Yummy! I gotta go!"
"That door. Then wash your hands and your breakfast is on the table."
"You did faces on the pancakes! You're nice!"
"I might like you’re a little bit."
"A lot! All this 'cause I had a bad dream?"
"Partly. Partly because you did all that I asked yesterday. Partly because you'll be staying with your Grandma part of the day today as I have work to do that my sweet girl can't go to."
"Like riding with Uncle Tom in his Sheriff's car but he drops me off when he gets a call bigger than a kitten up a tree."
"He's keeping you safe, just as I am today."
"I know, but I still wanna know what you're doing and why."
"Some of what I'm doing I can explain to you later."
"OK. It's later and I'm listening."
"Much later, smart girl. As in when I pick you up from your Grandma's."
"Bummer."
"Probably. Bigger bummer if you get hurt. So listen to your Grandma."
"Yes, Mister Jack."
"Let's wash the sticky off you and you choose a stuffed animal and a book in case you want to nap while you're there…"
"You're nice!"
"I might like you…"
"A little bit. How big is that?"
"Bigger than a smidgen. Smaller than a pinch. Ask your Grandma."
"You're silly! I'll ask her."
"Shoes on and grab your bag and we're on our way."
"OK."
---
"Hi, Katherine."
"Hi, Grandma!"
"Two or three hours, Jack?"
"About that long, Mildred. The timing works for her to have lunch and a nap if needed while she waits."
"Take your time. I'll be happy to have her all day."
"I thought that might be the case."
"Especially when you have her looking like another page in a kids' clothing catalog. You have a good eye."
"Probably polished some when I did photography for a living."
"It's still good. Your choices for Katherine are exactly right."
"Thank you."
"And I get to enjoy her most of the day."
---
"Jack, you need something from me?"
"Got a list of things, Tom. Some from things Katherine has said, some from her responses to other people or things they said or did and one from a bad dream she had last night. Here's the list."
"Things of value? The land my Dad deeded Josh when he and Malorie married has an old mine at the back of it but no one's been interested in mining lead here for more than a hundred years. My Dad gave each of the kids a couple of $20 gold pieces for Christmas some years ago but I'm not aware of him having had a big stash of gold. The only stocks in the family were in the mine and while the certificates might have some historical value, a lead mine is more likely a future liability than a current asset."
"Do you know anyone who fits this description?"
"Two of the County Commissioners, Judge Taylor, two insurance agents and the Baptist minister - but I'm not aware of anyone's eye color. If you can get in their faces, you might be able to check that."
"What about a farm with horses, a donkey and an ATV?"
"Nearly all of them have at least one ATV. Eight farms with horses and three with donkeys but none of them have anyone who matches your description living there."
"Anyone in their families or friends?"
"Not so much family or friends, but about half of them go to the Baptist church and most or all have had dealings with the County Commissioners or Judge Taylor. When it's a small county and one judge picks up the slack for the other judges' civil, criminal and probate cases, probably half the county has had some dealings with him."
"OK. Any problems with Jorge at the diner?"
"Squeaky clean as far as we're concerned. Purple Heart in the Middle East. Medical discharge. Works limited hours at two jobs because he can't stay on his feet all day. Might use some pot but don't have proof."
"Thanks, Tom. I'm going for a walk to do some thinking."
---
Katherine didn't point out the person she saw. She just said that he worked at the diner. I should go check all the employees for a name with 'George' or just the initial 'G' in it. No, I should let Tom get me a list of everyone there so I'm not on their radar as anything other than 'the guy who got Katie to talk' - even had a woman at the trailer park bring me a still-warm-from-the-oven apple pie yesterday as her way of thanking me for taking care of Katie. It seems the entire town knew her as 'Katie' after the event. I wonder whether the 'Missing' posters had 'Katie' or 'Katherine' on them. Tom will know.
---
"Is the Sheriff here?"
"I'm behind the door making yet another pot of coffee, Jack. What can we do for you?"
"Do you remember whether the 'Missing' posters had 'Katie' or 'Katherine' on them?"
"Pretty sure it was 'Katie' but there may still be one in this corner of the bulletin board. Back a year - it was 'Katie'. You onto something?"
"Not sure yet. I would like a list of employees and owners at the diner but I don't want them knowing I'm interested."
"Got that when the search started last year. Should be in this file cabinet. Here you go."
"What do you know about G. Edward Mathis?"
"He started going by 'Ed' when he went to college - trying to shake the 'Georgie-Porgie' which followed him from elementary school. Like the other people at the diner, we found nothing on him in the initial check of people, not even traffic tickets. Since you're here, there's something for you on my desk. It seems things moved even faster than Roy thought, as this folder contains your copy of the Removal from Registry documents, a ruling from the State Supreme Court overturning your conviction, one dismissing the original charges with prejudice and a copy of the warrant for your ex-wife's arrest for perjury."
"I think I hit the jackpot today."
"I think you got a start on appropriate payment for bringing Katherine back to us. Mildred called to tell me that Katherine was out in the kiddie pool - she only wanted an inch or so of water in it - but she's splashing and having fun. Mildred noticed that you were armed and now she is also."
"I thought that if I spoke to anyone today, they should know I am dead serious about this."
"I think most would know that from your face but a little extra emphasis rarely hurts the process of getting straight answers."
"What was the name of the mine?"
"Hutchinson Brothers Mining Company."
"Katherine told me 'he' took her to a mine with 'dutch' or something on the sign. 'He' wanted to know where the maps were. She didn't expand any on what maps 'he' was looking for but 'he' hit her when she said she didn't know. 'Hutch' could have weathered enough over time to look like 'dutch'."
"We searched the mine via the main entrance but not any of the emergency exits because they're so hard to access."
"She said 'he' used an ATV most of the time but a horse or donkey when it was muddy."
"I may have to start paying you a detective's salary. You've learned more from her in a couple of days than we were able to learn in the previous three months."
"What can I say? She chose me and she's willing to tell me almost anything I ask that she remembers. I was also there for her bad dream and I could phrase the questions gently."
"Right time; right place. That's often the key to solving crimes. You seem to be unusually gifted for doing that. Need a job? I've had a detective slot empty for over a year. Thomas Blaylock left to follow his dreams in the oil fields in the Dakotas about a month before the kidnapping."
"Possibly a little late for going there."
"Tried to tell him but he had a friend there that could provide lodging so he went."
"Did you hear from him after he got there?"
"Once. That things were OK. Nothing since."
"Did you and your son get along with him?"
"Yes. I recommended him for promotion twice but he didn't want to go to a larger county or the State Patrol. Not much other chance for advancement in law enforcement in this county."
"Did he know about the mine?"
"Everyone who grew up here knows about the mine - and the fact that lead mining is almost dead in this state."
"Do you have a recent assayer's report on the ore?"
"Not since the mine closed in 1904. Why?"
"What if there is interest in the mine because the ore has a high content of silver or another element?"
"How would we know where to look?"
"Find any evidence of recent digging and take samples from those locations for evaluation. Then ask if anyone else has similar assay results."
"That's almost as good as the perp leaving his driver's license at the scene. I may yet have to put you on the County's payroll."
"I'd rather get things settled so I can go back to my writing."
"Probably a safer and less frustrating job. Remember that Mildred said dinner at seven."
"I will. Katherine's told me how good her Grandma's chicken and dumplings, sweet potato casserole and red velvet cake are so it seems the menu won't matter, just that I bring an appetite."
"As much food as Katherine eats, I don't see where such a little girl puts it."
"She burns it. Partly in growing; she is near the end of some of her clothes and I know most of those were bought this year. Partly in her always 'doing' something: the most likely place for her to be reading is in her rocking chair - and she's going through 'The Cat in the Hat' without help, even if I start her somewhere in the middle so it's more than just rote memory. She loves being on the swings and she gets incredibly high for a kid who's sitting on the seat. I'm not ready to teach her about standing on the seat and pumping to go higher - I don't think the anchors on that swing set are good enough."
"They're probably not. A boy who wouldn't listen to his mother kept sneaking down there until the day someone heard Crash! Bang! 'It hurts!' He had gotten so high he pulled one of the anchors out of the ground and the swing set twisted and fell on him. The swing set was replaced and new anchors set but they're the same type anchors - designed for younger kids, not for a ten-year-old trying to reach the moon."
"'Trying to reach the moon' - that might be a good description of Katherine on the swings. I wonder if she was kept on a leash or in a small room or cage and she likes the feeling of freedom that 'flying' under her own power gives her?"
"You do some deep thinking, Jack. No wonder you're seeing things the rest of us didn't. I'm appointing you a Reserve Deputy. Raise your right hand and repeat after me: I, Jack Wilson, do solemnly swear…"
"A badge and everything?"
"'Everything' as soon as Brenda gets your picture. Badge, photo ID, ID holder, handcuffs and holster for them, Mace - the real thing - not civilian pepper spray, a handie-talkie - F1 is Dispatch, F2 and F3 are tactical, F4 is to the in-car repeater the cruisers have but some of the things I saw in your truck tell me you can probably set these up for any frequency in their range."
"I could and this model is capable of sixteen frequencies, not just the obvious four."
"I thought that was an extra-cost option?"
"It's listed that way so the dealers either make more money or can give the buyer a big 'discount' but the only cost is a tech's time to set it up - less than two minutes per frequency with Motorola's purpose-built communications tester and maybe five minutes per frequency for the first handie-talkie using my method but then I can clone the first one to as many as needed at about a minute each. You have a list of all the frequencies the Sheriff's Office is licensed for?"
"Somewhere in this Communications binder. Index says Page 17."
"I thought there might be more than four. You have liaison authorizations with the adjacent counties and two frequencies for the State Patrol for a total of six more. Probably simplest if the added frequencies are set up with the default group being your frequencies as they are now, then a group of other county frequencies and then the State Patrol. There's also one for Forestry - you do evacuations and traffic control during forest fires?"
"Yes."
"That one can be grouped with the State Patrol because they could be involved in an evacuation."
"So how do you get to those other channels?"
"Hold the 'Monitor' switch down, press the push to talk and turn the channel selector. You can do that because 'Monitor' and the PTT are on opposite sides of the radio and you can press both with one hand. Holding down 'Monitor' prevents the radio from transmitting when you press the PTT so you don't create interference. F1 then gives you the first group, F2 the second group and so forth."
"You know this how?"
"Spent the past two years as a repair tech for Motorola in Birmingham. Not my favorite thing to do but I have the Motorola training certification and the required FCC license and it paid the bills."
"You need to get a County Business License. We either drive 50 miles or pay travel expenses for someone to come here to do the required yearly checks on all the radio equipment. If you charged the same hourly rate we're paying now, we'd still be paying 20% less. I'm certain that using a local business instead of one in the next county would find favor at the next County Commission meeting. Our contract with that company renews in September so you have a little while to consider it."
"I will. Might need to design a 'Wilson Communications Service' sign."
"You do that. And get some business cards made up before the next County Commission meeting."
---
|
|
|
Post by 9idrr on Nov 30, 2019 21:09:55 GMT -6
Why do I get the feelin' that Jack could, if he wanted to, use a hair pin, some aluminum foil and a wad of Juicy Fruit gum to converse with the ISS?
|
|
|
Post by gipsy on Nov 30, 2019 22:46:02 GMT -6
McGiver by any other name.
|
|
|
Post by papaof2 on Nov 30, 2019 22:53:44 GMT -6
Most technical groups have that one person who's the go-to guy when someone has an "impossible" request. I was in the company's "skunkworks" where all the geeks who can answer impossible requests were together. Might as well pass a little of that along to my characters ;-)
I never had to ask what my ID was on a new system - someone would assign "thewiz".
|
|
|
Post by texican on Dec 1, 2019 0:36:09 GMT -6
I never had to ask what my ID was on a new system - someone would assign "thewiz". The title "thewiz" is well earned pp2.... It is good that you are feeling better for your writing shows it.... Texican....
|
|
|
Post by papaof2 on Dec 1, 2019 10:46:12 GMT -6
I even spent a little over an hour corralling leaves yesterday. Used the backpack blower to clear the hard surfaces and get the leaves away from shrubs and the like that the riding mower can't get to. We had rain most of the night so I'll waiting for the 15-16mph winds today and tomorrow to dry things out before I start collecting those leaves.
|
|
|
Post by papaof2 on Dec 1, 2019 17:00:58 GMT -6
Chapter 5
Wednesday, 16 June, 2:10PM
Lunch at the diner did let me get a good look at most of the staff and G. Edward Mathis came to greet me and thank me for helping Katie but he started sweating when he saw the badge. Not sure what he's guilty of but he's certainly worth investigating further. I spoke with Jorge and it's obvious he wouldn't have been traveling up to the mine except by passenger vehicle. One to keep on my list and one to take off my list. I'll go back to the IGA and get groceries for a month or so because there's plenty of storage space in the doublewide that I now own. I've been in the process of buying a house before but this is the first one I've actually *owned*, as in deed-in-hand ownership. Nice feeling to have a reasonably good place to live and I think Carl said it's five years old. I did get some additional fire, smoke and CO detectors to be on the safe side. Need to ask Carl if it's OK to fence my half acre at the back of the mobile home park. It is at the end of the road so that won't affect anyone else and I'd like to start a garden but I don't plan to feed the neighbors from it.
I have two carts of groceries so time to check out. I see Terry, the Downs syndrome bagger, is working today. I'll get in that line so I can speak to him and he's not likely to refuse a tip when there are this many groceries to get to the truck.
Got a questioning look from the checker so I told her I was moving into my new house and needed everything. She smiled and said "Congratulations! I know the feeling." and that was it. Talked with Terry for a few minutes while we moved things from carts to truck and he accepted the folded bill I gave him. Terry still lives at home so his expenses are limited but he mentioned that his Mother's birthday is next week and he wanted to take her out to eat - 'out to eat' here is usually the diner and the $20 I gave him will cover most of two adult meals with beverages and maybe a dessert. I feel good about doing something special for him and he gets to feel good about doing something special for his Mom. I think that's a win-win.
---
The front door's open? I locked things and set the alarm before I left. Check through the windows. Cabinets open. Drawers in the floor. All of Katherine's things gone through piece by piece. This needs to be officially documented.
'101 from 317.'
'101.'
'Doublewide was broken into and ransacked while I was gone today. I've only checked through the windows. Need this documented.'
'On my way, as is the CSI team. I'll be there in two minutes. 101 out.'
'317 out.'
Siren coming into the park. Tom's here and so is Carl. Guess Tom called Carl or Carl monitors the Dispatch frequency.
"Are you OK? Where's Katherine?"
"I'm fine. She's spending the day with her Grandma."
"Good on both counts. How long were you gone?"
"Probably left a little before eight. Got back a minute or two before I called you. The clock on the microwave is dark so they may have cut the power. There's an old fashioned electric clock with hands that Katherine was fascinated by. It would have stopped when the power went off. It's on the other side of her room so someone moved it near the time on its dial."
"You're right, Sheriff. He's an asset. Jack, I'm Don Fraser, half the CSI team. This is Sherry White who's the other half of the team."
"Thanks, Don, Sherry. I set the alarm system before I left so someone has experience disabling alarms before entry, they disabled or destroyed the siren after entering or people ignored the siren for more than two hours because it has battery backup."
"You've checked the door for footprints or toolmarks?"
"I checked at the windows and the only footprints there are mine."
"You have perishables in the back of the truck?"
"Not for long. I'll open up the trailer and get out the small fridge, the Engel DC-powered fridge/freezer and the inverter generator to keep things cool. The little fridge takes a while to cool but the trailer is white, has solar powered vents and has been mostly in the shade so we're not starting at the 140F of a trailer in the sun. The Engel has a 'quick cool' mode so it will be near zero in 15 minutes."
"You are prepared for bad things."
"The world doesn't have to end for your little corner of civilization to be disrupted. I plan with that in mind. I'm not happy about what happened today but Katherine wasn't hurt, she wasn't here to be frightened by whoever did this and she's the only item that can't be replaced. I need to let Mildred know that I'll be tied up here…"
"Already did, Jack. She said to take your time as she has Katherine in the shower after her time in the pool and on the swings and supper will keep."
"Thanks, Carl. Are there restrictions on fences here? I'm thinking eight foot chain link fence with three strands of outward facing barbed wire."
"County probably wouldn't allow that for a residence but it's standard for business fencing. Apply for that business license and then put up the fence. If you have animals, electric fencing is also allowed. Need a sheep or two to trim the grass?"
"Maybe a goat for fresh milk and to trim the grass?"
"Sounds reasonable to me, Jack. I'll see who has goats available."
"Jack?"
"Yes, Don?"
"Would you be able to tell if things are missing?"
"Yes for my things and maybe for a few of Katherine's. She and her grandmother should do that part of the inventory as I didn't move her things here. I'm just aware of what's been out of the drawers and the toy chest for a couple of days."
"I'll call Mildred and let her prepare Katherine for a walkthrough here. Don, I'll let you know when they're on the way."
"Thanks, Sheriff. We'll go take pictures and make a walkthrough video, then Jack can go through and tell us what he notices. Mildred and Katherine might be here by then."
"Make it so."
---
"What did you find, Don?"
"Sheriff, looks like there may have been more than one of them. Power was cut back there, using a limb lopper. That shorted both sides of the 220 together and the arc burned a big notch in the blades. They could have cut each wire separately and not gotten the arc so that perp is not electrically knowledgeable. I'd suspect that the one doing the cutting may be looking for medical care for the flash burns on his eyes. I'm assuming a male from the size of the gloves left with the loppers. Inside, Jack didn't see anything missing but a bottle of Jack Daniels but he noted that things were pulled out of the drawers in his bedroom but that the drawers were all turned upsidedown in Katherine's room, as though someone might have been looking for something taped to the bottom of a drawer. We do have fingerprints but we'll need to compare to Jack, Katherine, Mildred, Alice and anyone else who might have been in the place recently. No blood smears but there is urine on the seat of the toilet closest to Katherine's room. From the location on the seat, it's not likely to be hers. We'll want DNA just to be sure…"
"Jack's prints I have from the Reserve Deputy form. We have Katherine's DNA from her hairbrush at the time of the kidnapping. We can get her prints today."
"We may need a handwriting expert at some point. The mirror in the bathroom has 'Where are the maps?' in red spray paint."
"Don and Sherry, I want you to canvas the park, starting here, for anything seen or heard today. People, vehicles, whatever. I'll get Brenda to work with me on the road that the park backs up to as they could have come through from there. What about the alarm system?"
"Sheriff, someone put six rounds of probably .45 into it and it smoked. That tells me it was sounding off. Unless that .45 was silenced, it would have been as loud as the alarm and even more noticed. If 'no one heard anything', we need to bring the drug sniffing dogs through here Friday night and Saturday night to find justification for some search warrants."
"Thanks, Sherry. I'll see if we can get the dogs in this week. I see Mildred's Suburban."
"Mister Jack! Mister Jack! Are you OK?"
"I like your bullet hugs, Katherine. Yes, I'm OK…"
"Are you sure? You're the only Daddy I got!"
"I'm sure. I'm also glad you were at Grandma's today. Whoever did this did it after we left today. Did Grandma tell you that we need your help?"
"That somebody made a big mess and we need to see if they took anything."
"That's right. I'll take you to your room and I want you to take a deep breath and then look around the room and tell me about everything that isn't where it should be. Can you do that?"
"I'll try."
"That's my girl."
"I like being your girl."
"I like that too. First your bed. Start at the wall."
"My clock's gone!"
"It's on the floor behind me. That's how we know when they were here."
"It stops when you unplug it so it stopped when they moved it over there."
"That's my smart girl. What else?"
"Elsa's not there. Fluffy Bear isn't there. The games and puzzles from the closet are all dumped on the bed. My books are all out of the bookcase. Some of them don't have covers any more!"
"Tissue for your tears. The ones your Daddy read to you we can fix…"
"Really?"
"Yes, really. The new ones we can replace. What else?"
"I gotta move the clothes to see what's under them."
"OK, you're down."
"Minnie, Donald, Goofy, I'm wearing Pluto. Where's Mickey?"
"Which Mickey?"
"The underwear. The shirt is here and the shorts are here but they both have holes in them."
"Anything else?"
"Not that I remember."
"We'll let your Grandma check and see if she remembers anything else."
"Then can we wash it all? 'Cause I don't wanna wear stuff they touched."
"As soon as we get power back."
"OK. I'm hungry."
"Me too. Let's see if your Grandma and Grandpa want to go eat. The Sheriff will be here a while and I don't think anyone will bother things while a car with flashing blue lights is parked out front."
"Jack, I finished my walkthrough with Don. In addition to Katherine's Mickey underwear, a tee shirt from the day camp she went to last year is missing - yes, I checked the dirty clothes, the washer and the dryer - also missing are a couple of apparently unrelated books: her father's copies of 'Tom Sawyer' and 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'."
"Mildred, things are getting 'Curiouser and curiouser' to quote Lewis Carroll."
"You're right, Jack. And that reminds me, her father's copy of 'Alice in Wonderland' is at the house. You think she's ready for it?"
"She'll probably want to try any of his books. If she's not into it after a chapter or so, we just put it on hold until next year."
"'Until next year' - I think she was correct with her 'You're the only Daddy I got!' comment."
"I won't argue the point."
"You softy. And you're exactly who she needs. Thank you, Jack. If she wants to call you 'Daddy', I don't have a problem with it and I don't think Carl will either."
"Thank you. I might like her …"
"Somewhere between a smidgen and a pinch, as she told me earlier today. I think it's marvelous that you can expand her vocabulary in ways she sees as 'having fun' but that might be my school teacher bias."
"I might …"
"Love her with all your heart. Let's go eat. I'll come back to help you sort out her room. Carl called the electric co-op and they said four hours or less. They're coming instead of making us call a local electrician because that surge was recorded at the substation that feeds this area and they want to be sure it didn't do other damage."
"Very good. I'd rather work after the lights are back on."
---
"I got to help with the chicken and dumplings!"
"What did you do?"
"I mixed up the dough for the dumplings and squeezed it through my fingers and used the rolling pin to make it flat and Grandma cut it in little pieces."
"You did a good job, sweet girl."
"I like being your girl."
"I think the way you're snuggled into me tells me that. You about ready for bed? It is dark outside."
"But we gotta fix my room and make my bed and…"
"Your Grandma will help me with your room. She helped set it up so she knows where almost everything goes. We'll get you in jammies, you can brush and floss and I'll put you down on my bed until your bed is ready."
"Kiss me goodnight in both beds?"
"Yes. Nose or forehead?"
"Both?"
"Nose in my bed; forehead in your bed."
"But…"
"That is 'both'."
"I meant both in both places."
"Maybe you need to spend more time with your Grandma doing teacher things so you can say what you mean the first time?"
"I gotta do summer school?"
"What if she made it as much fun as making dumplings?"
"Yes!"
"Then we'll see what she can work out. To the truck. Considering your eyes, you might be asleep before we get home."
---
"That's the last of it, Jack, except for the paint on the mirror."
"I'll get a picture of that with my phone for future reference against other graffiti and then this razor blade scraper should make short work of removing it."
Click!
Scrape!
"That does work quickly! A specialty tool?"
"Just a generic scraper using a single-edged razor blade. Basic part of painters' toolkits for decades and probably still under $5."
"With all the high tech gear I've seen and your knowledge of so many things, I'm sometimes surprised when you use the simplest tool for something."
"Simple tools are usually people-powered so they work wherever you are and whenever you need them - like the P-51 can opener on my keychain. It's simple, reliable, fast and almost indestructible."
"You just had to caution Katherine about the sharp edges and you cutting paper with a can lid was all the demonstration she needed to understand 'very sharp'."
"That's one of the most effective safety demonstrations I know. There's no question how that sharp edge was created or how sharp it is. Thanks for the help, Mildred."
"Thanks for loving Katherine and bringing the girl we knew back to us."
"That's been my pleasure and I get rewards daily."
"As in she can't pass by you without touching you or hugging you or asking to be picked up for 'a big hug'."
"You might be correct."
"The place is secure for tonight?"
"Yes. I put several motion activated lights outside and inside plus I'll have multiple weapons at hand. Anyone entering tonight will not do it again."
"Good night, Jack."
"Good night, Mildred. Did you want to kiss her goodnight again before you leave?"
"You caught me."
"You softy."
"She seems to have that effect on a number of people."
"True."
---
The 2 x 4s are secure across both doors and there are single door audible alarms in place until I can repair the whole-house alarm system (doors, windows, water leaks, everything).
---
|
|
|
Post by texican on Dec 1, 2019 19:17:41 GMT -6
pp2,
Someones looking for somethings....
Thanks for the chapter....
Texican....
|
|
|
Post by ydderf on Dec 2, 2019 8:53:56 GMT -6
Thanks PP2,the maps are still missing though.
|
|
|
Post by brucearmstrong65 on Dec 2, 2019 11:16:24 GMT -6
Thanks PP2,the maps are still missing though. Or are they? One of her dad's books is still back at the grandparents' place...
|
|
|
Post by papaof2 on Dec 3, 2019 17:27:57 GMT -6
Chapter 6
Thursday, 17 June, 2:40AM
Scritch!
Tink!
That's the sound of someone with a glass cutter. Slip on shorts and my ScottEvest for weapons and ammo. Night vision gear from the Sheriff's Office is probably better than anything they have. Glock in my right hand and the expanding baton in my left hand. To the living room where they can get in that window and 'they' because there's whispering.
'You have the rope and the gag for the girl?'
'For the third time, yes. I know what I'm doing. If you hadn't let her get away, we'd already be rich.'
'Not my fault! That stupid Ed went to sleep without putting her back in the pen and she got out. At least she's still too scared to say who we are.'
'You hope. She can't tell anyone if we have her or if she's dead.'
'You kill her before we have the maps like you almost did and I'll kill you, but very slowly. I understand arsenic is a very painful way to die.'
I think there's too much talking and not enough paying attention. The Glock is on my belt, I've picked up the 12 gauge and turned off the safety and they've noticed nothing. Night vision off and this 500 watt worklight on.
"AIIIEE! My eyes! I'm blind!"
"I have a 12 gauge with alternate rounds of slugs and 00 buck. On your knees, hands behind your heads or you can die where you are. NOW!"
"I'll shoot…"
Boom!
"That's one down. Are you as stupid as your partner?"
"I'm doing it."
"Daddy?"
"Stay behind me, Katherine. Pick up the phone and call 911. Tell them who you are and where you are."
"OK.'
'911. Where is your emergency?'
'This is Katherine and Mister Jack has two people in front of his shotgun. One of them is bleeding.'
'I know where you are. Deputies and an ambulance have been dispatched. Please stay on the phone and talk to me. Do you know who they are?'
"Who are they, Daddy?"
"Burglars, wearing masks and carrying guns."
'I heard that. I'm relaying to the deputies en route.'
"Tell them we hear sirens."
'I heard that.'
---
|
|
|
Post by texican on Dec 3, 2019 19:09:46 GMT -6
Two kidnappers, one bleeding out on the floor and another laying on the floor....
Questions before the deputies get there....
Thanks pp2 for the chapter....
Texican...
|
|
|
Post by 9idrr on Dec 3, 2019 20:54:00 GMT -6
Two kidnappers, one bleeding out on the floor and another laying on the floor.... Questions before the deputies get there.... Thanks pp2 for the chapter.... Texican... Yeah, I'd bet that it would only take one or two fingers bent just slightly past the breaking point to loosen somebody's lips.
|
|