When Max and Collin arrived at Kevin's house, it looked like it was a chaotic crime scene. Two police cars was in the drive way and the front door was wide open. Max could hear the loud voice coming from inside, filled with worry and concern. They cautiously walked through the walkway to the entrance and stood in their doorway.
"Hello?" Max asked.
"Kevin, is that you honey?!" the voice sounds like Kevin's mom, which it was.
She came out to the front and froze when she saw Max locking eyes with her. She then stood there but looked away nervously.
"Excuse me ma'am," said Max, politely. "My name is Max Russo. I suppose you heard of me quite a lot-."
"Oh, you're the person Kevin was talking about," Kevin's mother blurted out. "The one that he purposely set you up for the crime that you didn't commit."
"Yes," said Max in unison. "I'm the one."
"Oh dear," said Kevin's mother, putting her face in her hands. "I'm terribly sorry that he put you through all of this. I don't know what's with him, with his rebellious attitudes, and the wild partying. I don't know what's happening to my little angel."
She begins to cry and Max and Collin started to feel bad. They didn't want to see her this way. They immediately go over and comfort her.
"Aww, don't cry," said Max, softly. "I know that you have done your best with him and everything."
"Yeah," Collin chimed in. "It's just that...well, some of us teenagers can be rebellious at times. But I'm sure he'll come around."
Then out of nowhere Officer Barry and another officer along with Kevin's father came out to the doorway to see what was going on.
"Max, Collin," said Officer Barry, surprised. "What are you two doing here?"
"I heard from Collin that Kevin hasn't been home," said Max, looking around the house. "We expect that he's out there plotting new adventures of trouble."
"I agree," said Collin.
"I certainly hope not," said Officer Barry, concerned. "If he's smart, this is the time to reconsider what he's doing fast!"
"There ain't no hope getting through his thick head!" snapped Kevin's father.
"Gabe, please!" said Kevin's mother. "We have company!"
"No Kat!" shouted Gabe. "Don't be trying to cover up for him now. We let him get away with so much stuff, and look what's happening now! He got what's coming to him, because he brought it up on himself. I hope they find him and lock him up for a very long time! Maybe that will teach his butt a lesson he would never forget!"
Everyone stood in brief silence as Kevin's father's words left a thick band of anger in the air. But the words didn't surprise Max at all, which he equally compared it to his father's outburst last week. Only this time Kevin's father was literally throwing in the towel.
"I had my say to all of this!" he snapped. "I'm done! If he wants to put his life in the gutter, then that's on him!"
He then briefly turned to Max and nodded to him.
"We're really sorry about your mix-up," said Gabe, his tone softened a little bit but still had its edge. "Good luck."
With that he went out the front door and without looking back. Kat grinned nervously in front everyone.
"I'm very sorry about that," said Kat. "Maybe a long walk would do him good."
"It's no problem at all Mrs. Jenkins," said Officer Barry. "He's probably just frustrated!"
"It's really kind of hard on us all," said Kat. "But I swear to you, he's usually not like this."
"The feeling is mutual," said Officer Barry.
"Have you done the search warrant yet?" asked Max, curiously.
"We was about to proceed to the basement where the party took place," said Officer Barry. "But then we thought Kevin was at the door, and here we are."
"It's like I'm in a twilight zone or something," said Max. "It's like all of this happened like it was yesterday."
"Hey, Max," Officer Barry called. "Where did you exactly say that you past out again?"
Max walked ahead of everyone and headed toward the kitchen. Everything in Kevin's house was the same but had a few pieces of furniture moved around because of the party. But Max still identified where he first collapsed percussively.
"It was right here between the kitchen and the living room," said Max. "Smack dab in the middle."
"And this happened while you was coming up the stairs, correct?" asked Officer Barry.
"Of course," said Max. "I didn't know what was happening with me, but I was so looped from that poisonous liquid that it blacked me out."
"Do you think it was alcohol?" asked Officer Barry.
"I guess," said Max. "Ruben said it could be some drink that was mixed with roofie."
"Oh, I'm afraid that they got you good on that one partner," said Officer Barry.
"I know," said Max, with a chuckle. "What a shocker."
* * * * *
Officer Barry then started a search around the house. He was going to do some investigating down in the basement, while the other officer checks upstairs in Kevin's bedroom. Max stayed downstairs with Kat to calm her down and for them to get to know each other a bit more.
"Again, I'm really sorry about what happened," said Kat, pouring them both a glass that looked like lemonade. "I just don't know what the heck has gotten into him."
"Yeah," said Max, staring at the glass and pushing it aside, not to be rude. "I wonder why myself."
"I mean, we try so hard to put him on the right track in life and he's just not to consistent about it," said Kat, in concern. "I mean the stuff that he's pulling right now...He's looking at major consequences! Let alone costing the school a lot of money that he doesn't even have, or we don't have in that matter!"
Max shakes his head about her statement. He started to feel bad for her; she seemed like a very nice lady. How could a nice woman like her have a kid that is so conniving and so underhanded? Maybe there was a reason for it all.
"And you know the worst part is," said Kat. "My husband got laid off from his cooperate job yesterday. That bogging him down plus Kevin's situation is definitely not a good mix."
"Oh, Mrs. Jenkins, I'm so sorry," said Max, with sympathy. "That's terrible."
"I know I'm just an ordinary housewife," said Kat. "But my husband Gabe...he's like the breadwinner of the family. We just don't know what to do now. I don't even know if there's a job out there for me."
"I'm sure that there plenty of jobs out there for you," said Max. "I mean, what do you really enjoy doing?"
"Well," Kat went on. "I like designing clothes."
"Really?" asked Max. "My sister likes designing clothes! In fact she's in a designing school for college!"
"Well tell her I said congrats," said Kat, with a smile.
"I will," said Max. "Say, why don't you go to the design school too? It's should be really fun."
"Nah," said Kat quickly. "I'm too old to go back to school."
"Hey, you not that old," said Max. "How old are you like twenty five?"
"I wish I was," laughed Kat. "But thanks for the comment."
They both laughed out loud.
"But seriously, you should totally try it out," Max assured her. "I don't think it matter about the age but it just simply matters on the opportunity. I mean sitting around moping about it won't get it done."
"I suppose that you're right," said Kat. "Wow, I feel weird talking about these kinds of things to a teenage boy."
"Hey, don't sweat it," said Max. "I'm bond to hear it sooner or later.
"You know, you seem to be a nice decent kid," said Kat, with a smile.
"Yeah," said Max. "I get that a lot.
"You guys!" bellowed Collin from upstairs. "You got to come see this!"
Max and Kat rushes up the stairs to Kevin's room. As they got inside, Collin guided them to what it looks like to be the treasure box. But it wasn't the kind of Treasure that anyone was hoping to find inside. What the officer just pulled out in front of them made Max and Kat gasped out loud.
Inside the treasure chest, there were bags filled with weed, and other types of illegal drugs. Just as the officer thought he cleared the chest, the bottom layer was tapes with some dangerous weapons. Two guns, one can of tear gas, and two really sharp swords.
"What on earth?!" shrieked Kat.
"Looked like he did a whole lot of work behind the scenes," said the police officer.
"Yeah," said Collin. "Even I didn't know about this."
"I don't believe this," Kat said, in outraged. "My own son! Why would he do such a thing?!"
"I wish I knew ma'am," said the officer. "I wish I knew."
"This is so insane!" said Max. "How did he even get a hold of all of this?"
Officer Barry rushed up the stairs to meet them and halted when he saw all the bags of the drugs and the weapons.
"Looks like the kid left us an early Christmas present," said the other officer.
"Indeed he did," said Officer Barry, as he turns to Max with almost a sad expression on his face. "And it looks like he left more presents under the couch cushions in the basement."
He held out two bags of roofie that looked one of them was opened. Max shakes his head and looked at Kat who was shaking with shock.
"What am I going to do?!" she quivered. "If his father finds out about this he'll go on a rampage that's even badder than hurricane Katrina!"
"We will take care of everything from here, now," said Officer Barry. "Just let your husband calm down for a while before informing him with all of this!"
"If that's only an option to do," said Kat, with a worried expression.
"But I can't sugar coat things for you at this point, Mrs. Jenkins," Officer Barry stated. "You're son is really farther up the creek than an hour ago."
"I understand," said Kat, sadly.
"In the meantime," Officer Barry went on. "Without further ado my partner and I are going to make sure to take away all of these goodies, so that they will no longer be a problem with this individual."
Kat sighed heavily as Max and Collin comforted her.
"Now as soon as your hear word from your son, you will let us know right?" asked Officer Barry. "We don't want two people that are breaking the law."
"I know, officer," said Kat, trying to hold back the tears."
"Thank you for you cooperation, Mrs. Jenkins," stated Officer Barry, as he turns to the other officer. "Let's take the whole chest to the back seat of the car."
* * * * * * * *
A few minutes later, Max was walking back to his home to tell the rest of the family his update. He told Kevin's mother that if he hears and sees anything or whereabouts about Kevin that he would let her know right away.
Just when he was around the corner from his place, his phone ranged. He looked at it and saw that it was from Ruben.
"Hello?" asked Max, after he quickly answered the phone.
"Hey man, I need to holler at you real quick!" said Ruben, quickly.
"What's going on?" asked Max, curiously.
"I believe that I found Kevin and his little posse," said Ruben.
"You did?!" asked Max, frantically. "Where?!"
"I'm at this warehouse out in Brooklyn," said Ruben. "I don't know about all of this man, but things are starting to look shady. The place is kind of abandoned."
"Are you inside the warehouse?" asked Max, like he was a detective.
"Not yet, but I was planning on doing some further investigation," said Ruben.
"Okay, I'm going to let Officer Barry know what the situation is," said Max. "I'll be by the phone if you need me."
"Thanks bro," said Ruben. "I'm sure this is one of the best leads of the day."
"I know," said Max nervously. "But please be careful dude, I don't want you to get hurt."
"I won't," assured Ruben. "I promise."
Ruben was sitting in his car watching what to believe were Kevin and his posse interacting. He could tell that they were up to something, the way that they were being secretive and cautious about themselves. After a while they went inside one by one. Ruben got out of the car as soon as he and Max hanged up the phone to get a closer look.
He carefully walked up the front entrance of the warehouse and quietly slipped in the front door. He saw that no one was around at the moment so he took a look around what looked to be the lobby. The place was much more abandoned than he thought. There were dust bunnies everywhere including cobwebs. Ruben started to get really concerned on how things are going. Just as he was going to do further investigating, his phone vibrated. He quickly took it out of his pocket and read the text message from his girlfriend. When he put the phone back into his pocket, the lights quickly turned on which made him jump. He turned around to see Kevin in front of him with his arms folded.
"Well folks, looks like we have an intruder on our hands," said Kevin with a sly smile.
Then out of nowhere two of Kevin's bigger posse fellas grabbed each side of Ruben's arms. Then the rest of them came out to watch. Mike had a big sneering smile on his face.
"And I got to say it," Kevin went on. "I hate intruders."
"So this is one of your love hate relationships," Ruben added in. "I'm quite flattered but this is definitely too much."
"Ruben, Ruben, Ruben," said Kevin, with a chuckle. "And to think that you would be my homeboy. Then you went behind my back and did this."
He then turned away and shakes his head.
"I'm afraid that you have to suffer the consequences," Kevin said in a venomous tone.
"And what's that?" asked Ruben with sarcasm. "You're going to sprinkle me in glitter."
"I'm glad you think that's finny, Cunningham," said Kevin, turning back to him. "But you'll see! You'll see what's coming to you!"
Ruben sighed at he looks up at the ceiling.
"Take him down in the basement and tie him up!" snapped Kevin.
They two posse on each side yanks Ruben forward down the hallway with the others following. Kevin goes to look out the window on to the street."
"You better watch your step, Russo," sneered Kevin. "When you come for me, I'm ready for you! And you don't know what I'm capable of."
Stay tuned for the big climax that all of you have been waiting for in chapter 22. It will be so epic!