A/N: The sequel to His Forgotten Obsession. Hopefully this time, this addition will be just as successful in my eyes as the last was. So please enjoy, and review.
Thanks,
xThe-Unkwnx Title: Welcome to Four
Blocks Down From Happiness
-xXx-
Chapter One---
Twenty-five Years after Raven's Death
"Where's the file, Josie? I need the god damned file," through gritted teeth, with an agitated tone, he called from his desk, piled with paperwork.
"Yes, sir," Josie said meekly, leaving the office.
"And a coffee with cream and sugar!" he yelled after her. Seconds later the phone rang. Josie picked up the phone. "Hello? Okay, hold on. It's the Mrs., sir," Josie said, standing in the doorway.
"Okay. Hurry up with the files and the coffee. I need to get home so she'll stop complaining." He pressed the other flashing button and sighed heavily before bringing the phone to his ear and answering it.
"This is the third time this week you have spent a late night at the office, Henry. The kids want to see you and so do I. I don't want to have Chinese take-out every night because I don't know if you're coming home or not!" she stated angrily.
"I'm sorry Claire, but ther—"
"That's the same excuse as last night and the night before, and the night before that. I'm tired of it!"
"It's the truth! I have a duty to this city!"
"But foremost you have a duty to this family, Henry!" Claire started to tear up, and sniffled into the phone.
"Claire, I'm sorry, I really am."
"Are you avoiding us?"
"What? No! Babe, I'm leaving now. Okay? I'll be home in twenty minutes. I lov—" The phone clicked before he could finish.
"Here is the file, Mr. Adams," Josie softly spoke, putting it neatly on the desk.
"Thanks, Josie. I'm going to go home, and you can leave too you know," Henry said, getting up from his chair.
"I have a few things to finish, but I will lock up and such. I am going away for the weekend and do not want a mountain of paperwork to come back to. So, have a good night sir. Oh, and here's your coffee."
"Thanks just put it here. And you too." Josie closed the door, and Henry grabbed the folder and opened it, looking at the criterion that was inside. Another missing person case. It was the second one this month, and it was some of the first missing persons case that happened to this newly constructed city. It was the first major city to not be built by an immediate water source; therefore, all of its inhabitants are extremely wealthy people that can afford the cost of the products sold there. Because it was an expensive affair to bring the products deep into the country, the costs soar upwards.
Henry waved goodbye to Jose and walked out of the building towards his car and opened the back door and shoved his suitcase and jacket on the seat and closed the door. His cell phone rang and he flipped it open to answer it.
"Hello?" he answered, getting into his expensive vehicle.
"Hey, Dad."
"I'm on my way home, Ben," he said turning on the car.
"Moms really mad, and she's freaking out and Rachel is crying hysterically. Dad, we just need you home!" Ben voiced.
"I'll get there as soon as I can! Do you need me to pick up anything?"
"Get pizza, everyone likes pizza. Just hurry." Henry hung up the phone. Tonight was going to be hell.
-xXx
Henry walked into a silent home, and looked around for the chaos that his son was worried about. He threw the to-go cup of coffee out, and placed the pizza on the island counter. He proceeded to place his briefcase and jacket in his office, and then went upstairs. He checked Rachel's room, and she was not there. Panic lit in his eyes as he moved down the hallway towards Ben's room. He opened the door vigorously to find Rachel asleep, with her thumb in her mouth, next to Ben on his bed.
"She finally calmed down," Ben whispered.
"Good," Henry said with a smile. "Where's your mother?"
"In your bedroom. She stormed up there right after I got off the phone with you. I don't know why she was freaking out. You are only at the office late," Ben sighed.
"Your mother just wants a family meal every night. She values it highly because she really didn't have that. The pizza is downstairs if you feel like it."
"Thanks Dad." Henry gently picked up Rachel, so Ben could move out of his bed, and cradled her. He kissed the side of her head and began rocking her back and forth.
"Daddy?" she whispered sleepily.
"Yeah, baby?"
"I'm hungry." Henry smiled, and laughed.
"Let's go downstairs and get you a slice of pizza."
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"Is Mommy mad?"
"She's mad at me, baby. She loves you from here to the moon and back."
"But does she love you?" For a six year old, she was very intuitive. She was a handful from day one.
"I'm sure she does. Now let's go get that pizza," Henry said putting her down, and grabbing her hand.
-xXx
"Rough night?" his colleague asked, following Henry to his office.
"The couch wasn't too comfortable," Henry bitterly answered with a yawn.
"Another petty fight?"
"We didn't even talk this time, John." The two of them entered the office and John closed the door. He unfolded the folder that he had in his hand and laid it out.
"We've got a problem," John said, a trace of worry in his voice.
"What?"
"Our first murder case. And from the looks of things, this guy is pretty good."
"Is the missing case connected with this?"
"Possibly? We just got this in right before you got here." John's pager beeped, and he looked at it. "It's for you. They want you down at the scene."
"Where is it?"
"4 Joy Road."
-xXx
"The first odd thing was that he came in through the attic. Broke through the window somehow. That's being further investigated because there are no trees or any real easy way through there but by climbing the house to the roof, which is pretty skilled, if you ask me. Now, the time of death lands about one in the morning. The victim wasn't asleep when he was murdered, so either he awoke from the crash, he never fell asleep, or the killer woke up him. Considering how he died, he wasn't very well liked. He was strangle—"
"I can read the report you sent me, Hugh. Why did you need me down here?" Henry impatiently asked.
"Look at the style of how he was killed, and then look at your background. That's why we need you here."
"It's extreme and brutal, so what?"
"And old fashioned."
"What do you mean?"
"If you read the report thoroughly enough, Henry, you would have seen that the bullet that was pulled from his side was made in at least 2006, obviously not coming from a gun made like these days."
"Two thousand and six? Hugh, that's sixty-one years ago."
"I guess this guy went into a different business then we do at retirement age," Hugh said with a chuckle.
"Can you break into an attic window at sixty-one, or even older?" Henry asked matter-of-factly.
"I'd rather go through the front door."
"Exactly," Henry stated. The word rolled off his tongue as if he was on to something, maybe even someone.
-xXx
The town was new, fresh with victims to terrorize. It's clean slate was perfect to tarnish by a villain like Deathstroke.
