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Chapter 22
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"Can't Richie come in too?" Eddie breathed as Bruce Bowers placed a cup of water in front of him. Out of all the cops, why did he have to talk to Bruce? And why did he have to do so all alone? He couldn't exactly request a different officer - not without people wondering why.
"I'd like to just talk to you for now. You're not in trouble." Bruce forced a smile. It didn't look sincere. He looked kind of mad. "Your friend is right outside... I just need your version of everything to start."
Eddie swallowed, looking down at the water. He was pretty thirsty, but he almost felt like the beverage was a trap. He realized he was at the police station... They weren't going to poison him or make him drink whiskey first... Bruce didn't know Eddie had been at his own house all night. He couldn't know. He had no reason to do anything cruel to Eddie. He was just doing his job at this point. Eddie still couldn't bring himself to trust the water though.
"Can I get you anything else? You hungry? Is it warm enough in here? You're kinda shaking..." Bruce noted.
Eddie crossed his arms over his chest so that his hands were over his upper arms. "I'm just nervous..." He whispered, fiddling with the fabric between his fingers, grabbing a sleeve in each of his hands.
"Well, you don't have to be." Bruce Bowers smiled, sitting down in the chair opposite Eddie. "I'm just here to get the truth from you, alright? Just answer my questions. Be honest. That's it. You're not in trouble." He said again. But Eddie felt like he was in trouble...
"If Richie just doesn't say anything, can he come in here?" Eddie whispered, shrinking back in the chair. "J-just to sit in here..."
Bruce shook his head. "You'll see him soon. You're not in trouble Ev-um..." He glanced down at a piece of paper on the table in front of him. Eddie stuck his lower lip out. Bruce didn't even remember his name. "Um. Edward. Eddie. Right? You have people call you Eddie?"
Eddie swallowed and nodded.
"So can you tell me what happened? Where you were all this time?" Bruce stared.
Eddie bit his lower lip and stared down at the cup of water in front of him. He had to start talking. He was going to look like he was lying if he didn't say something soon. "I got lost." He whispered, still scared to look up.
"Lost where?" Bruce asked.
Swallowing, Eddie reached out with one hand, running his fingertip over the rim of the cup. "Um... In the woods. I went out there and I guess... I guess I walked too far off of any paths and I got lost. I kept trying to find my way back, but I got more lost."
"You look like you've been through a lot, son." Bruce noted. "You got marks all over you..."
"I was walking in the dark. I fell down a lot... Ran into branches and bushes and stuff... It was raining earlier, so I slipped..." He lied, remembering what Richie told him she should say. "The tree branches scratched me I guess... I stumbled a lot. It was dark. There were rocks and branches and hills and bushes and it's just... kind of rough..." He breathed, forcing a nervous laugh.
"What's this?" Bruce leaned over the table and reached toward Eddie's neck.
Eddie inhaled a sharp breath and shrunk back. "Don't." He whispered, slapping the cop's hand away, then staring back with wide eyes. "Shit... I'm sorry..." He gasped when he saw a flash of anger in the cop's eyes.
Bruce set his mouth in a line and stared, forcing a very obviously fake smile. "It's okay..." He breathed. "Listen... Let's be real here, okay? I realize you know who my son is."
Eddie swallowed, staring silently back. Did he suspect something? Did he find something in the basement... Eddie's shirt maybe? The piece of tape that had been over Eddie's mouth? The ones around his ankles? The ones he managed to take off... The broken window?
"I see him picking on you and your friends... He associates with the trashiest kids in town. I get it. He's scary... He's a rough little asshole bully. But I'm not him. Okay?" He reached over and grabbed Eddie's hand, squeezing a little tighter than what would have maybe been reassuring.
Eddie held his breath as he looked down at his hand. He wanted to move it, shove Bruce's hand away... But he didn't.
"You can trust me. My son's a waste of space, alright? I get that. He's a little prick. But I'm not. I'm a police officer. It's my job to help people. So you've gotta tell me what happened, and it's got to be the truth. Those are finger-shaped bruises on your neck. No tree branch did that." Bruce guessed.
Swallowing, Eddie continued staring at the man. Richie told him to just refuse to answer. To say it was tree branches and shrubs and whatever was in the woods and say he didn't know if the cops asked more questions.
"Somebody hurt you." Bruce stated. "Not tree or a bush. A person."
Eddie stared back, silently allowing the man to go on. He'd let him talk as long as he wanted. So long as Eddie didn't didn't have to say anything back... Or confirm that any of his guesses were true. He didn't have to answer, did he? He couldn't get in trouble for that. Eddie wasn't the one who kidnapped someone... He was the victim of this. Victims couldn't get in trouble for being hurt, even if they refused to talk about it. That was true, wasn't it?
"Trees don't have hands. They don't have fingers. They don't grab boys by their necks. They don't punch people across the face." The cop went on, nodding and gesturing toward Eddie's cheek. "That bruise under your eye looks pretty painful. Like someone hit you. Did someone hit you, Evan?"
Eddie stared, feeling himself growing a little more angry than he was scared. Bruce didn't give a damn about him. Just like Henry had said. He couldn't even get Eddie's name right. He didn't care what happened. He just wanted an answer to write down in his case file. He wasn't a good person. "No." He whispered.
"How's things with your mom?" Butch asked.
Eddie shrugged. "Fine." He spoke in a tiny voice. Did Bruce think his mom did this?
Butch exhaled and shook his head. He seemed frustrated, which really wasn't fair. None of this was Eddie's fault, and Bruce was the last person he'd tell the truth about all this to.
"She seems to almost enjoy it when you're sick." Bruce noted. "Like she gets some kind of rush out of taking you to the hospital, picking up your medicines from the pharmacy... She gets a lot of sympathy from people around town. You know that, right? Your suffering is lots of attention for her... And she loves it."
Eddie stuck out his lower lip in a pout. Was Bruce suggesting his mom hurt him for attention? It was true she could be a little over-the-top with her paranoia... She worried a lot more than she probably needed to about Eddie's health... But she wouldn't ever hit him or choke him...
"You realize protecting someone who hurt you is just going to make things worse, right?" Bruce stared. "Even if it's someone you love, someone you're scared of. She'll do worse and worse as long as you keep quiet."
Eddie swallowed and stared. It was interesting that Bruce would say that considering how he treated his own child.
"You've gotta tell me." Bruce went on. "She won't be able to hurt you anymore if you just tell the truth."
Eddie continued staring silently. He wondered what Bruce would do if Eddie seriously did tell him the truth. He thought Eddie's mom hurt him... He had no idea it was Henry. He wondered if he said anything if Bruce would believe it. If he'd threaten to kill him if he said anything about it to anyone else. Maybe he actually would kill him. Maybe he'd strangle him to death right here... Tell the other cops Eddie must have died from an injury he had gotten while he was missing - or from a bad asthma attack.
"Those bruises look harsh, Evan." Bruce went on. "Painful. Violent. Your friend who was with you. Richard..."
"No." Eddie interrupted, shaking his head. "Richie didn't do anything. Neither did my mom."
Bruce gave him a stare that indicated he thought the boy was lying. "If someone threatened you, we can keep you safe. It's our job..." He narrowed his eyes as he stared back at Eddie's neck, then down toward his chest.
Eddie frowned and reached down, pulling Richie's jacket closer, yanking the neck-line up to better cover his injuries. "Can I go? I didn't do anything wrong... I was just lost. I'm back now. There's no crime... No need for police..."
Bruce leaned forward, grabbing Eddie's hand and moving it to the side as he reached toward the zipper of the jacket and tugged it down.
Eddie whimpered and reached back for the zipper himself. "Stop!" He gasped.
"We found your jacket along the side of the road. Nowhere near the woods." Bruce noted, tugging the zipper down more. "This is interesting...You're wearing this jacket...No shirt. Jacket's way too big... And you've got welts and..." He paused with a sharp wince. "Pretty painful-looking bruises... Somebody did this to you. Somebody beat you, grabbed you, threw your jacket along the road... You need to tell me who. Whose jacket is this? Who hurt you, Evan?"
"No." Eddie stood up, knocking the chair back so that it almost fell over. He was tired of so many adults and older kids pushing him around, scaring him, threatening him. "Nobody did anything. I wanna go home..."
"If somebody's hurting you, you can't keep protecting them." Bruce stared, taking a step toward Eddie as the boy backed himself further against the wall. What the hell was he going to do? Why was he cornering Eddie in an interrogation room? He realized Eddie wasn't a criminal, right?
"Get away from me." Eddie breathed, pressing his back against the wall.
"I'm not trying to scare you here, kid..." Bruce raised his hands in defense.
"Eddie!" Eddie's ears perked up when he heard a sound that was unexpectedly comforting - his mom's voice. "Eddie, baby, you in there?" She knocked against the door, then pulled it open.
"Mommy!" Eddie whimpered, feeling tears spill down his cheeks. He didn't realize how much he needed her right now. He hadn't wanted to go home. He was scared of her being overbearing, asking too many questions, being mad at him for getting into this mess... But at this moment, he only wanted her to hug him, hold him close, be overprotective.
Eddie's mom grabbed him up into a secure hug, holding him close against her chest as he choked out breathless sobs. "How dare you?" She glared at Bruce. "Can't you see you're scaring him? How dare you take him in here, all alone? Question him like he's a criminal... He obviously just escaped kidnappers..."
"I was lost in the woods..." Eddie spoke up, but allowed his mom to keep her arms wrapped around his shoulders.
"He's covered in bruises and welts. We've gotta get to the bottom of this, ma'am. Having other people present in the room during things like this leads to a lot of children withholding information. That's why I wanted to talk to him alone. With all due respect, you need to leave." Bruce took a step toward them.
Sonia pulled Eddie back. "No. You're terrifying the poor boy. You can't talk to him like this. You can't corner him and threaten and scare him and then expect him to tell you what happened. He has a lot of medical conditions your aggressive tactics will exacerbate. You're going to give him a panic attack. I'm taking him to the hospital."
"No." Eddie shook his head.
"Did she do this to you, Evan? Tell the truth." Bruce stared.
Eddie shook his head. "No. She didn't... I swear."
"You have a lot of nerve, Officer Bowers, accusing me..." Eddie's mom pulled him closer. "I think you're projecting your own feelings. Your son is a little monster. Mine's not. I'd never feel compelled to hurt him. He's a delicate little angel."
"And you seem to get off on seeing him sick and hurt." Bruce accused. "You wanted more attention, and this gave it to you."
"How dare you!?" Sonia's voice rose.
"Stop!" Eddie finally spoke up. "Both of you, stop... You can't make me stay here. I didn't do anything wrong." He stared at Bruce, feeling himself shaking, half-expecting the cop to smack him in a fit of anger. "Mom didn't do this. I told you already. Stop accusing her. Mom, let's just go home. I just wanna go home..." He whimpered, his lip trembling.
"Evan-" Bruce stepped forward.
"My name's not fucking Evan." Eddie growled, pulling his hands into fists. "I'm done. I told you everything."
Bruce looked like he wanted to hit Eddie, but he obviously couldn't.
"You can't make me stay here. I told you the truth. I can't force you to believe it... but I told you everything there is to tell. I didn't do anything wrong. You can't make me stay..." Eddie reminded him again.
Finally, Bruce exhaled and shook his head. "Fine... That's true. I can't keep you here... I can't force you to talk. I wish you'd tell me the truth... But I can't force you to."
"I am telling the truth." Eddie lied, feeling his heart pounding. Lying went completely against his nature.
"You're right, Eddie... He can't keep you here if you're not under arrest... which you aren't. Let's go, Sweetie... We'll talk about it in the car. Whoever did this-" Sonia started.
"I was just lost. It was tree branches I ran into. I tripped and fell. No one did anything." Eddie promised as his mom put her arm around his shoulders and started leading him out of the interrogation room.
"Eddie, you okay?" Richie stood up and headed over as soon as they made it back out into the waiting area.
"Don't you touch him." His mom pulled Eddie back. "Don't think I can't see right through this act of yours. You and all your rough little friends, playing with him like he's your little toy that you can just throw around. You can't treat him like that. He gets hurt easily."
"Mrs. Kaspbrak, I didn't do anything. I swear." Richie frowned, looking down and sticking his lip out in a small pout.
"No, of course not. Just got him lost in the woods all night. He could have died." Sonia hugged Eddie tighter.
"Mom, he didn't-" Eddie spoke up.
"Shhh. Mommy's here now. You don't have to be scared of him or anybody else. You won't be playing with these rough older boys anymore." Sonia promised. "I'll keep you safe, baby."
"Mom, stop... He's not even older... We're the same age. And he's not rough. He didn't get me lost. I got myself lost. He found me. I'd still be out there if he didn't." Eddie frowned.
"You can stay home with me from now on. These boys are a bad influence." She pulled him toward the door.
"Mom, stop!" Eddie finally yelled, shrugging down out of her grip. He breathed in and out, staring around the room at various police officers who stared back as though worried Sonia might do something. Of course, Bruce seemed to think his mom hurt him. Maybe they all did. This moment certainly wasn't doing her any favors.
"Eddie..." She spoke in a low voice. "Don't cause a scene..." She looked around nervously, clearly noticing the judgmental stares from the cops.
"I am gonna hang out with Richie still." Eddie breathed. "You can't keep me from him, or Bill or Mike or anyone else. They're my friends. They're not rough with me. They protect me all the time. More than you do. Against real stuff. They don't just shove medicine down my throat and keep me locked in a room by myself. They help me when something dangerous actually shows up."
He glanced toward Richie, who looked legitimately shocked and for once, speechless, as he stared with his mouth hanging open.
"I got lost in the woods. I took a weird route to Bill's house from Richie's because I didn't want anyone to see me walking and tell on me - tell on me to you... Because you're over-protective to the point of it being suffocating. I would have been safe at Richie's house if not for you, Mom." Eddie breathed, feeling his chest growing tight. He was kind of making himself feel light headed. He couldn't believe his own bravery right now, but after everything else, it seemed kind of necessary.
"You should have just gone to Bill's in the fist place, baby..." His mom whispered.
"His brother went missing, Mom. Why do you think his house is safe? You just don't like Richie... But I do." Eddie breathed.
His mom looked nervous, but finally stopped talking. She stared down at him, as though she honestly cared what he had to say.
"I only went off alone because I knew you'd be mad at me for being at Richie's... But Richie's always careful with me, and not just because you think the world will kill me if I take a step outside alone. He's my friend. He cares about me. And you're not going to keep me away from him." Eddie said again. "He's the one who kept looking after everyone else went to sleep. He's the one who found me... Gave me his jacket, made sure I stayed warm and brought me back into town."
Sonia pressed her lips into a tight line and glanced back toward Richie, who swallowed nervously and shifted from one foot to the other.
"He kept me safe." Eddie went on. "He made a fire while we waited for it to get light... He let me sleep against him, helped me back out to the road. I'd still be out there if not for him. So you should be thanking him, not accusing him of shit."
Sonia swallowed, then looked back at Richie again. "Thank you, Richard..." She finally said. "I'm sorry... Thank you for finding him, for keeping him safe until I got here..." She exhaled, then looked back down at her son. "I just want you to be safe, Eddie..." She looked like she wanted to cry. "I was so scared when you weren't at Bill's house. I thought someone took you..."
Eddie blinked back his own tears. She was right... But he couldn't tell her that. "I'm okay now... I was just lost... I fell down and got scuffed up, but I'm okay. It's not Richie's fault... or yours... Just maybe kind of my own... It was bad luck, an accident... I'm alright..."
"I won't keep you from your friends." She finally agreed. "I just worry about you, Sweetheart."
"I know. I'm sorry for scaring you... But it's all okay now. I just wanna go home." Eddie breathed, realizing he was still exhausted.
"Alright." She agreed.
Eddie exhaled and leaned against her as she pulled him close again. He felt genuinely relieved and accomplished right now. Maybe he had no power when Henry Bowers and Patrick had him, but he did now. He told the cop to leave him alone, he told his mom to stop... He actually had some control here.
He smiled toward Richie, who smiled back, also looking relieved that Eddie had stood up to his mother, defended him. "See you later, Rich." Eddie spoke up waving a small wave. "Thanks for finding me..."
"You're welcome, Eds. See ya Mrs. Kaspbrak." Richie added.
Sonia forced a smile for Richie, then led her son out of the station. "I'm glad you're okay, Eddie... Sorry I was so harsh... I just worry so much..."
"I know." Eddie exhaled. "Just be nice to my friends. They worry about me too. They're on the same side as you."
Sonia laughed softly. "I guess you're right. Let's get you home."
Eddie hugged his mom back as they reached the car. For all her faults, she did love him. It was suffocating at times, but her heart was in the right place. After hearing how Henry's dad treated him, Eddie realized he could have it a whole hell of a lot worse.
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