This One's Personal
Chapter 9
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Bosco brought the patrol car to an abrupt halt in front of Katy's house. There were people milling about, but he pushed right past them and headed into the house. He saw Lieutenant Swersky standing in the living room next to his daughter, listening to the detectives. He saw that Alex, Jimmy and D.K. were amusing the kids in the corner. Michael was keeping one eye on his mother, trying to be the "man of the house."
Bosco made eye contact with Michael and gave him a wink before continuing over to Katy and the Lieutenant. The boy immediately relaxed a little. He liked Bosco and trusted him.
"Lieu, what happened?" he said quietly, trying to remain calm in front of the kids, as he reached to put a hand on Katy's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Katy reached up and put her hand over Bosco's and looked up at him. The pain he saw in her eyes made his heart ache. She'd been through so much.
"Well, Katy said that she woke up when she heard Shaun scream. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:30," he started to explain, looking down at his daughter and noticing Bosco's hand still on her shoulder. "This man has potential," he thought to himself.
Katy continued, "It was a different scream than the one he has with the nightmares and I ran in right away. But, he was gone," she trailed off, fresh tears springing from her eyes. Bosco knelt down alongside Katy and spoke softly into her ear.
"Katy, I'm going to find him. Look at me," he said, and she looked him in the eye. "I'm going to find him and bring him back to you," he said again firmly.
"I know you are," she said, leaning her head into his shoulder as he put an arm around her bringing her close.
The detective started to interrupt to try to get more information. He hadn't been having much luck. She seemed to be in shock and wasn't recalling things too clearly. Lieutenant Swersky put a hand up to stop the detective from speaking and continued to listen.
"Katy, tell me what you remember. I need to know everything so I can bring Shaun back," he said calmly. Faith stood off to the side. She'd seen him 'on a mission' before, but this was different. She smiled at the love she saw in his eyes.
Katy sat back up and looked over at her children to see that they were still okay. She looked back at Bosco and said, "I ran into his room and felt a breeze. I looked over at his window and saw that it was open. Bosco, that window has always been locked. And I know that Shaun can't reach it," she said, trying not to break down again.
"Katy, stay with me," Bosco said, calmly urging her on.
She took a deep breath and continued. "I ran over to the window and looked out. I saw a pick-up truck speeding away down the street behind my house. The next thing I knew, John Anderson was behind me - Michael let him in. He said he heard me scream and then he called the police," she finished, looking back at Bosco.
"Okay, Katy. That's good. Did you touch the window lock?" he asked her. She shook her head no. "Katy, I'm going to go look for him. I have my cell phone with me so you can call me no matter what. You still have the number right?" he asked, writing the number on one of his cards and handing it to the Lieutenant for safekeeping. She shook her head numbly and Bosco stood up, still not taking his hand off her shoulder.
"Bosco," the Lieutenant said.
"I'll bring him back, Sir," Bosco said, not needing the Lieutenant to finish the sentence. Bosco walked over to Michael, Matthew and Stephanie who were still being occupied by Alex, Jimmy and D.K. Stephanie reached up for Bosco and he took her into his arms.
"Dada," she again said and Bosco hugged her tightly and said, "No, Stephie. Bosco." He knelt down so that he was at eye level with Michael and Matthew.
"Boys, take care of your Mom and Stephanie. I'm going to go get Shaun," he said with conviction.
"Thanks Bosco," said Michael simply. He handed Stephanie back to Alex and walked out the front door, with Faith right behind him. D.K. and Jimmy looked at each other. "I'd hate to be that guy when Bosco finds him," D.K. simply said as Alex and Jimmy just nodded in agreement.
Sully and Davis, along with other on-duty and off-duty officers, were waiting outside. Bosco relayed the information he'd gotten from Katy and everyone left to start looking.
Bosco got behind the wheel and Faith got in on the passenger side. She looked over at her partner and saw him staring straight ahead, his knuckles white due to the grip. She waited a moment and said, "Bosco?"
"What?" he asked her.
"We're gonna find him. Let's go," she said, trying to shake him from the terrible thoughts she knew he was having.
He looked over at her and they each exchanged a knowing glance with the other. Bosco started the car, pulled away from the curb and headed in the direction that Katy had said the truck had gone. They waited for the information that was being run through the Department of Motor Vehicles computer on George Palmer's aliases, including his newest, to get a possible description of the vehicle.
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"When can I go home, George?" asked Shaun quietly as he sat in a chair in the corner of the motel room. George was looking out the window from behind the curtains to see if he'd been followed.
"I told you, my new name is James. And you're going to be living with me now, Shaun, so you better get used to it. Your Mom doesn't want you anymore. That's why she left the window open - so I could take you away," he said, looking at the child and seeing his eyes begin to fill up.
"No! You're lying. Mom would never let me go. She told me so," Shaun argued back. Palmer let out a loud sigh and ignored the child that was softly crying and turned on the television. He wanted to see if there was any news bulletins out yet. He'd made sure that no one had seen him bring Shaun into the room with him and was pretty sure that since the motel clerk hadn't even looked up at him, he wouldn't be able to recognize him if they did show his picture on the television. He's paid for a week in advance, so they wouldn't be bothering him for anything.
"Oh, Shaun. It'll be okay. You'll see. I'll take good care of you," Palmer said soothingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 9
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bosco brought the patrol car to an abrupt halt in front of Katy's house. There were people milling about, but he pushed right past them and headed into the house. He saw Lieutenant Swersky standing in the living room next to his daughter, listening to the detectives. He saw that Alex, Jimmy and D.K. were amusing the kids in the corner. Michael was keeping one eye on his mother, trying to be the "man of the house."
Bosco made eye contact with Michael and gave him a wink before continuing over to Katy and the Lieutenant. The boy immediately relaxed a little. He liked Bosco and trusted him.
"Lieu, what happened?" he said quietly, trying to remain calm in front of the kids, as he reached to put a hand on Katy's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Katy reached up and put her hand over Bosco's and looked up at him. The pain he saw in her eyes made his heart ache. She'd been through so much.
"Well, Katy said that she woke up when she heard Shaun scream. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 2:30," he started to explain, looking down at his daughter and noticing Bosco's hand still on her shoulder. "This man has potential," he thought to himself.
Katy continued, "It was a different scream than the one he has with the nightmares and I ran in right away. But, he was gone," she trailed off, fresh tears springing from her eyes. Bosco knelt down alongside Katy and spoke softly into her ear.
"Katy, I'm going to find him. Look at me," he said, and she looked him in the eye. "I'm going to find him and bring him back to you," he said again firmly.
"I know you are," she said, leaning her head into his shoulder as he put an arm around her bringing her close.
The detective started to interrupt to try to get more information. He hadn't been having much luck. She seemed to be in shock and wasn't recalling things too clearly. Lieutenant Swersky put a hand up to stop the detective from speaking and continued to listen.
"Katy, tell me what you remember. I need to know everything so I can bring Shaun back," he said calmly. Faith stood off to the side. She'd seen him 'on a mission' before, but this was different. She smiled at the love she saw in his eyes.
Katy sat back up and looked over at her children to see that they were still okay. She looked back at Bosco and said, "I ran into his room and felt a breeze. I looked over at his window and saw that it was open. Bosco, that window has always been locked. And I know that Shaun can't reach it," she said, trying not to break down again.
"Katy, stay with me," Bosco said, calmly urging her on.
She took a deep breath and continued. "I ran over to the window and looked out. I saw a pick-up truck speeding away down the street behind my house. The next thing I knew, John Anderson was behind me - Michael let him in. He said he heard me scream and then he called the police," she finished, looking back at Bosco.
"Okay, Katy. That's good. Did you touch the window lock?" he asked her. She shook her head no. "Katy, I'm going to go look for him. I have my cell phone with me so you can call me no matter what. You still have the number right?" he asked, writing the number on one of his cards and handing it to the Lieutenant for safekeeping. She shook her head numbly and Bosco stood up, still not taking his hand off her shoulder.
"Bosco," the Lieutenant said.
"I'll bring him back, Sir," Bosco said, not needing the Lieutenant to finish the sentence. Bosco walked over to Michael, Matthew and Stephanie who were still being occupied by Alex, Jimmy and D.K. Stephanie reached up for Bosco and he took her into his arms.
"Dada," she again said and Bosco hugged her tightly and said, "No, Stephie. Bosco." He knelt down so that he was at eye level with Michael and Matthew.
"Boys, take care of your Mom and Stephanie. I'm going to go get Shaun," he said with conviction.
"Thanks Bosco," said Michael simply. He handed Stephanie back to Alex and walked out the front door, with Faith right behind him. D.K. and Jimmy looked at each other. "I'd hate to be that guy when Bosco finds him," D.K. simply said as Alex and Jimmy just nodded in agreement.
Sully and Davis, along with other on-duty and off-duty officers, were waiting outside. Bosco relayed the information he'd gotten from Katy and everyone left to start looking.
Bosco got behind the wheel and Faith got in on the passenger side. She looked over at her partner and saw him staring straight ahead, his knuckles white due to the grip. She waited a moment and said, "Bosco?"
"What?" he asked her.
"We're gonna find him. Let's go," she said, trying to shake him from the terrible thoughts she knew he was having.
He looked over at her and they each exchanged a knowing glance with the other. Bosco started the car, pulled away from the curb and headed in the direction that Katy had said the truck had gone. They waited for the information that was being run through the Department of Motor Vehicles computer on George Palmer's aliases, including his newest, to get a possible description of the vehicle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"When can I go home, George?" asked Shaun quietly as he sat in a chair in the corner of the motel room. George was looking out the window from behind the curtains to see if he'd been followed.
"I told you, my new name is James. And you're going to be living with me now, Shaun, so you better get used to it. Your Mom doesn't want you anymore. That's why she left the window open - so I could take you away," he said, looking at the child and seeing his eyes begin to fill up.
"No! You're lying. Mom would never let me go. She told me so," Shaun argued back. Palmer let out a loud sigh and ignored the child that was softly crying and turned on the television. He wanted to see if there was any news bulletins out yet. He'd made sure that no one had seen him bring Shaun into the room with him and was pretty sure that since the motel clerk hadn't even looked up at him, he wouldn't be able to recognize him if they did show his picture on the television. He's paid for a week in advance, so they wouldn't be bothering him for anything.
"Oh, Shaun. It'll be okay. You'll see. I'll take good care of you," Palmer said soothingly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...