Author Note: …what has Eric done?
T7S
Chapter 03 –Lost – Voodoo Doll
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Eric and Hyde came back up the stairs to find the trio waiting at the kitchen table. Red's brow was raised expectantly. "So…where is it?"
Eric shrugged. "Hyde and I both remember seeing me put it back in my bag."
Fez's eyeballs nearly popped out of his head. "Aiiyyy! You id-i-ot! You have Ju-ju running loose in Point Place! No one is safe!"
"Hajji….go make me a snowman or something." Red commanded. Fez nearly collided with the patio doors in his haste to get away from Eric. Hyde sat next to Kitty while Red waited for Fez to leave.
"Son, I'm not a believer in black magic but that doesn't mean that not everyone thinks the same. I've known many people that have a good luck charm they take with them to the horse races. Some carry a rabbit's foot. Your mother wears a four-leaf clover. You have a voodoo doll instead of an action figure." Red's mouth felt nasty saying that. "Obviously your island friend is frightened of whatever he saw downstairs on Saturday. The problem at hand is that one of your friends are missing."
Kitty looked at her son. "No one has seen her. I called Madge, the manager, where Fez and Jackie share the apartment? Her car hasn't been in the parking lot since Saturday morning. Where would a young girl go? It's not safe out there and it's been snowing."
"What about Donna? I'll call and see if she knows anything." Eric offered. Red shook his head. "We already called Kettlehead and Donna. No one's seen her. Since Jackie's mom has skipped town and her dad's in prison, your mother and I feel slightly responsible for her. After all, it was our son that chased her out in the bad weather."
Kitty shook her head sadly. "While you were downstairs we called the police. Someone needs to file a missing persons report."
Hyde looked alarmed. Where was his stash? Cops in the basement? His personal space was about to be consecrated by Point Place's finest! "I'll be downstairs!" Again, Eric was reminded of a bad Scooby Doo cartoon and Shaggy just took off!
Bob and Donna came in through the patio – Bob was shivering. "Why is Fez making a crucifix in your driveway?"
Red rolled his eyes, "I told him to make a snowman."
"Eric, what's going on?" Donna asked. Kitty quickly filled in her neighbors on what happened since Jackie Burkhart ran out of the basement on Saturday. Bob looked very concerned. "It's dangerous for a young girl to be upset and driving in the snow. Eric, what in the hell were you thinking?"
Eric didn't expect Bob Pinciotti to be pissed at him too! "Okay, maybe what I did was in bad taste but how was I supposed to know she was going to run away? She's a girl!"
Donna glared at her on again/off again boyfriend. "You doofus. I'm a girl and I would have just punched you. Jackie's not like that. You really did say some cold stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't become a suspect!"
Eric could feel the handcuffs tightening around his heart. His voice squeaked, "Really?"
Red looked at him. "Really. No one else had a reason to drive her away. Son….you're a… dumbass."
Luckily for Eric's ass, there was a rapping at the patio doors. Two uniformed officers were waiting for Red to invite them in. Officer Deshona and Officer Ridge looked like they appreciated coming in from the weather. Deshona was obviously the senior officer and started the questioning.
His first question was, "How long has Miss Burkhart been missing?"
Kitty quickly replied. "Since Saturday evening." Officer Ridge whistled softly. "Oh….that's not good. If she was in a traffic accident and you are just now reporting…."
Deshona elbowed his partner. "Does she have any health problems we need to be aware of?" The questions flowed back and forth, with Bob filling in what Kitty or Red couldn't answer. When the officer looked at Eric, he could feel his mouth dry up. "I'm sorry….what did you say?"
"You had an argument? Are you her boyfriend?"
"What? Oh hell no. I don't even like her." As soon as the words were out of his mouth Donna's little statement whizzed through his head. "…I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't become a suspect…" Crap, he just put his head in the hangman's noose!
-o-
The police had left after taking some pictures Kitty had and writing a lengthy report. Everyone just sat around the kitchen table, not exactly knowing what to say and Eric could feel everyone casting an evil eye towards him. He slapped his hands down on his thighs. "You know what? She ran away. That's it! Jackie just took off and we shouldn't have to worry about her."
Kitty looked at her son like he had two heads. "Eric, sweetheart. If she's not working or at her apartment where else would she be?"
"Well, here of course." He replied. Donna rolled her eyes, "Dill hole, if she's not HERE….where do you think she is?" Fez and Hyde both turned to look at Eric. "Yeah man, you scared her good with your Ju-ju voodoo doll."
Fez frogged Hyde. "Don't speak of Ju-ju or it will come back on you!" Hyde laughed and rubbed his arm. "Okay man…witchcraft or whatever you want to call it. Forman put a spell on Jackie and she's turned into a frog or something."
Red couldn't believe these kids were joking about a serious matter. "Look you dope heads. If Jackie is lying in some hospital bed somewhere, Eric is going to get a job as a candy striper. You don't chase your friends out in the snow and at night when they are upset."
Kitty looked at Hyde, "Steven…I know you don't care about Jackie anymore….what if it was me or Donna that was missing. Wouldn't you want to know that we were safe?"
Hyde thought, Oh crap, she's playing the adopted mother card! He quickly replied, "Of course! Alone in the dark is no place for a female." Hyde quickly frogged Eric in the chest. "Man, you are going to make one pretty candy striper!"
Donna chuckled. "Seriously though, Mr. Forman….how long did the cop say it would take to check local hospitals?"
Red shrugged. "They have to show her picture and create a missing persons report. It could be some time."
Bob looked sad. "I don't care what the rest of you think. Pam Burkhart's daughter is a sweet young girl that could be lying in the snow somewhere. She could be hurt or…..dead. All of you are joking about it! Shame on you boys!" Bob got up and sniffed. "You better hope she's not dead."
Donna smiled and shrugged her shoulders, "And don't make my dad upset. Now I have to go back to school and he's upset. ERIC."
Eric sat back in his chair feeling the weight of everyone's anxiety on his shoulders. Man why did I have to pull out the voodoo doll? I am a dumbass!"
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A week had passed by and no unidentified persons had turned up at local area hospitals. Jackie Burkhart's picture was posted on telephone poles and inside diners she used to frequent. Fez had created a mini-Jackie shrine at the salon to encourage the Ju-ju to return his friend safely.
Kitty was beside herself with worry. Pam Burkhart was somewhere in Cancun and couldn't come home and Jack Burkhart was given the message that his daughter was missing. This was all Kitty Forman could do for the dear girl. The rest was up to the Lord.
Red had taken to wearing his lucky rabbit's foot on his key chain. Bob was visibly upset every time he saw Eric walking around. "Why aren't you looking for her!"
Eric shrugged. What could he possibly do? Jackie was gone and no one knew where she went? Why should he care? Isn't this what he wanted in the first place? Damn, if only he'd paid attention to the curse of the stupid doll – or let Hyde smoke it.
Wait…if Hyde smoked it then wouldn't Hyde go missing? Nah…no such luck. That doll had to be in the house somewhere. There was a crunch on the snowy driveway as the police cruiser pulled up to the house. Eric didn't see a smile on the officer's faces and he felt sick to his stomach.
This couldn't be good.
-o-
Officer Deshona shook Red's hand and took off his hat. Kitty covered her mouth; she knew this wasn't a friendly visit. "I'm sorry to tell you this in person. We recovered a Lincoln that had been involved in a traffic accident. There was blood in the vehicle and a handbag that positively identified one Jacqueline Burkhart as the registered owner. I wanted you to hear it from me before you saw it on the nightly news."
Eric fell down into the kitchen chair. Jackie was dead. He was inadvertently responsible for her death! All because of that stupid voodoo doll!
Red cleared his throat; Eric could hear emotion in his father's voice. "Was it another car? Did someone hit her?" Kitty clutched her husband's arm as they waited for Officer Deshona's explanation.
"There was some construction on Highway 50 and a detour for all the folks that were heading west toward Salem or Silver Lake. Her vehicle hit the K-Rail, went airborne over some delineator posts and traffic barricades. The auto crashed into the ravine. From all indications, her body was thrown free and possibly could have gone down the river. The reason we didn't find the automobile earlier was because of the layers of snow and this accident happened over a week ago. Unless we drag the river, I don't believe we'll find her body until spring."
Kitty lost it. She cried into Red's chest for the loss of a beautiful young woman. Jackie would never become a wife, a mother to hold an innocent child in her arms. That could have just as easily been her own flesh and blood. "Oh Eric…honey…come hug me."
Eric got up on wooden legs. Jackie was gone? His mom nearly smothered him with kisses, "I'm so glad you're alive." She cried into his shoulder.
"Red!" Bob barreled through the patio doors. "I saw the police cruiser - did they find Jackie?" He asked hopefully. The officer turned and Bob saw the raw emotion on Red's face - they lost one of their "kids"
Officer Deshona nodded to Bob. "I just thought you'd like to hear it from me first."
Red wiped the back of his hand over his eyes. "Thank you, officer." There was a hitch in the older Forman's voice, "I – we appreciate that you took the time to come tell us in person."
Bob waited long enough for the officer to leave before he burst out in tears at the loss of Pamela's beautiful daughter.
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