She has my son in her basement. She's given him toys and candy, but Charlie's smart. He knows he's in trouble. "Mom!" he cries out, as if there's something that I can do.
"Bosco!" he yells out again. Tears are threatening in his large, dark eyes.
The woman comes down the stairs, she's holding a giant stuffed bear. "Shhhh sweetie." she says soothingly. "Look what I've brought you!"
Charlie kicks her, his feet landing on her stomach. She gasps and drops the bear. "You little bastard," she hisses and brings her hand up to Charlie's face. "You do that again and you'll be sorry."
Her nails rake across my son's face, leaving their trail marked in blood. Charlie winces but refuses to let himself cry. I'm proud of him, proud of the way he's handling himself.
"My mom's a cop." Charlie says, staring at the woman. "She's going to find you and throw you in jail."
The woman shakes her head and shows her crooked teeth in a dim approximation of a smile. "You're mamma's dead, little boy."
"No, she's not." Charlie retorts. "She's going to find me and then you'll be sorry."
The woman snorts with disgust and picks up the bear. She throw it on Charlie's lap and leaves the basement. Her footsteps heavy on the wooden stairs.
Charlie wraps his arms around the bear and only once he hears the door slam shut does he allow himself to cry.
________________
Bosco lays in bed, his eyes are closed. He looks so peaceful, so at ease. He doesn't know that Charlie's missing. As much as it pains me to do so, I left Charlie, curled up asleep on the small bed.
Bosco murmurs something in his sleep and his arms jerks suddenly. He's probably having a nightmare. I touch his shoulder and try to calm him down.
The phone beside his bed begins to ring. Bosco's eyes flutter as his brain registers the intruding noise. Sleepily, he reaches over and grabs the phone.
"Hello?" he whispers, and then clears his throat. "Hello?" he says again, stronger this time.
His brow contorts with some emotion as he listens to what the speaker on the other end has to say.
"He came to see me a few hours ago I guess." Bosco says and struggles to sit up in the bed but then gives up.
They know about Charlie, I realize with an immense feeling of relief. Fred must have realized that he was gone and called the police. Bosco hangs up the phone and leans his head back on the pillow.
"Charlie's missing Faith." he whispers and looks pained. "It's my fault."
I wish I could tell him that I know where Charlie is. I lay my hand on his cheek, the muscles tremble beneath my touch. "I'm so sorry Faith." Bosco whispers. "I should have insisted that he call Fred for a ride, or better yet, arranged a police escort for him."
I know where he is Bosco, just listen to me. Please, just listen to me.
"I can't do a damned thing about it Faith. I'm stuck here in the hospital and I don't have my badge anyway."
Please Bosco! A woman took him, a woman with crooked, stained teeth and matted hair. She has him, in her basement. She's going to hurt him.
"I guess they'll want to talk to me, ask me why I just sent a young boy home without any supervision."
In her basement Bosco! Just listen to me, you have to hear me. She took him away from me. I need you to hear me.
"I let you get killed Faith, and now I've let your son get kidnapped." Bosco moans and tries to sit up again. I move my hand from his cheek down to his arm and try to grasp onto him.
He's not interested in listening to me. He's not interested in feeling me. I have to leave. I have to see if Charlie's okay.
________________
"Mommy," Charlie whispers. "Please help me." He pushes a small truck along the floor, making vroom vroom noises.
She's set up a videocamera, to watch my son. To watch my son play with the toys that she so thoughtfully provided for him. The scratches on his face have turned an angry red. Her nails weren't clean.
"Play with the fire engine now sweetie." comes the woman's disembodied voice from a speaker set up beside the camera. "Can you make siren noises for me?"
Charlie abandons the truck and reaches for the engine. It has battery operated lights and sirens, but he's been forbidden to touch the button. "Wee-ooo--weee-ooo..." Charlie half heartedly makes a siren noise and pushes the engine along the floor.
The woman laughs with delight. Delight at using my son for her sick games. "That's very good sweetie! Can you play with the police car too?"
Charlie reaches for the small squad car. "It's my mom and Bosco's squad car." he whispers and peers inside as if he's expecting to see small figures sitting in the seats.
"Make the siren sweetie and have them save the day!"
Charlie pushes the car along the floor until it smashes into the fire engine. "They had an accident." he whispers. "Like Bosco did."
"Do you want some juice sweetheart?"
Say no Charlie. Charlie gazes over at the camera and shakes his head. "No thank you. I'm fine."
"You must be thirsty after all that playing."
"No, I'm not." Charlie picks the fire engine off its side and rams it into the police car. "Take that!" he whispers and sends the squad car spinning across the floor.
The door at the top of the steps opens and the woman slowly makes her way down the stairs. She's carrying a glass of purple liquid. "It's kool-aid sweetie. You like kool-aid, don't you?"
Charlie shakes his head. "My mom says it rots my teeth."
She kneels down beside Charlie. "Open your mouth, you ungrateful child." she hisses and rakes one fingernail across his already scraped face.
Charlie winces but still refuses to open his mouth. The woman clenches her teeth in anger. "Open your mouth now." She reaches for his face and forces his mouth open.
"Noo!" Charlie screams and tries to kick her again. She moves out of the way of his flailing legs, picking up the glass of kool-aid.
"Fine, don't drink it!" she yells and dumps the sticky mess onto his head.
Charlie looks shocked and wipes at his eyes. The purple liquid runs down his cheeks and stains his shirt. The woman just shakes her head and goes back upstairs. The door slams shut violently, causing the frame of the house to rattle.
Someone will save you Charlie. Someone has to save you soon. I'll do everything in my power to make that happen. I know that Bosco can hear me, I know he can feel me. I'll make sure that he helps you sweetie.
"Bosco!" he yells out again. Tears are threatening in his large, dark eyes.
The woman comes down the stairs, she's holding a giant stuffed bear. "Shhhh sweetie." she says soothingly. "Look what I've brought you!"
Charlie kicks her, his feet landing on her stomach. She gasps and drops the bear. "You little bastard," she hisses and brings her hand up to Charlie's face. "You do that again and you'll be sorry."
Her nails rake across my son's face, leaving their trail marked in blood. Charlie winces but refuses to let himself cry. I'm proud of him, proud of the way he's handling himself.
"My mom's a cop." Charlie says, staring at the woman. "She's going to find you and throw you in jail."
The woman shakes her head and shows her crooked teeth in a dim approximation of a smile. "You're mamma's dead, little boy."
"No, she's not." Charlie retorts. "She's going to find me and then you'll be sorry."
The woman snorts with disgust and picks up the bear. She throw it on Charlie's lap and leaves the basement. Her footsteps heavy on the wooden stairs.
Charlie wraps his arms around the bear and only once he hears the door slam shut does he allow himself to cry.
________________
Bosco lays in bed, his eyes are closed. He looks so peaceful, so at ease. He doesn't know that Charlie's missing. As much as it pains me to do so, I left Charlie, curled up asleep on the small bed.
Bosco murmurs something in his sleep and his arms jerks suddenly. He's probably having a nightmare. I touch his shoulder and try to calm him down.
The phone beside his bed begins to ring. Bosco's eyes flutter as his brain registers the intruding noise. Sleepily, he reaches over and grabs the phone.
"Hello?" he whispers, and then clears his throat. "Hello?" he says again, stronger this time.
His brow contorts with some emotion as he listens to what the speaker on the other end has to say.
"He came to see me a few hours ago I guess." Bosco says and struggles to sit up in the bed but then gives up.
They know about Charlie, I realize with an immense feeling of relief. Fred must have realized that he was gone and called the police. Bosco hangs up the phone and leans his head back on the pillow.
"Charlie's missing Faith." he whispers and looks pained. "It's my fault."
I wish I could tell him that I know where Charlie is. I lay my hand on his cheek, the muscles tremble beneath my touch. "I'm so sorry Faith." Bosco whispers. "I should have insisted that he call Fred for a ride, or better yet, arranged a police escort for him."
I know where he is Bosco, just listen to me. Please, just listen to me.
"I can't do a damned thing about it Faith. I'm stuck here in the hospital and I don't have my badge anyway."
Please Bosco! A woman took him, a woman with crooked, stained teeth and matted hair. She has him, in her basement. She's going to hurt him.
"I guess they'll want to talk to me, ask me why I just sent a young boy home without any supervision."
In her basement Bosco! Just listen to me, you have to hear me. She took him away from me. I need you to hear me.
"I let you get killed Faith, and now I've let your son get kidnapped." Bosco moans and tries to sit up again. I move my hand from his cheek down to his arm and try to grasp onto him.
He's not interested in listening to me. He's not interested in feeling me. I have to leave. I have to see if Charlie's okay.
________________
"Mommy," Charlie whispers. "Please help me." He pushes a small truck along the floor, making vroom vroom noises.
She's set up a videocamera, to watch my son. To watch my son play with the toys that she so thoughtfully provided for him. The scratches on his face have turned an angry red. Her nails weren't clean.
"Play with the fire engine now sweetie." comes the woman's disembodied voice from a speaker set up beside the camera. "Can you make siren noises for me?"
Charlie abandons the truck and reaches for the engine. It has battery operated lights and sirens, but he's been forbidden to touch the button. "Wee-ooo--weee-ooo..." Charlie half heartedly makes a siren noise and pushes the engine along the floor.
The woman laughs with delight. Delight at using my son for her sick games. "That's very good sweetie! Can you play with the police car too?"
Charlie reaches for the small squad car. "It's my mom and Bosco's squad car." he whispers and peers inside as if he's expecting to see small figures sitting in the seats.
"Make the siren sweetie and have them save the day!"
Charlie pushes the car along the floor until it smashes into the fire engine. "They had an accident." he whispers. "Like Bosco did."
"Do you want some juice sweetheart?"
Say no Charlie. Charlie gazes over at the camera and shakes his head. "No thank you. I'm fine."
"You must be thirsty after all that playing."
"No, I'm not." Charlie picks the fire engine off its side and rams it into the police car. "Take that!" he whispers and sends the squad car spinning across the floor.
The door at the top of the steps opens and the woman slowly makes her way down the stairs. She's carrying a glass of purple liquid. "It's kool-aid sweetie. You like kool-aid, don't you?"
Charlie shakes his head. "My mom says it rots my teeth."
She kneels down beside Charlie. "Open your mouth, you ungrateful child." she hisses and rakes one fingernail across his already scraped face.
Charlie winces but still refuses to open his mouth. The woman clenches her teeth in anger. "Open your mouth now." She reaches for his face and forces his mouth open.
"Noo!" Charlie screams and tries to kick her again. She moves out of the way of his flailing legs, picking up the glass of kool-aid.
"Fine, don't drink it!" she yells and dumps the sticky mess onto his head.
Charlie looks shocked and wipes at his eyes. The purple liquid runs down his cheeks and stains his shirt. The woman just shakes her head and goes back upstairs. The door slams shut violently, causing the frame of the house to rattle.
Someone will save you Charlie. Someone has to save you soon. I'll do everything in my power to make that happen. I know that Bosco can hear me, I know he can feel me. I'll make sure that he helps you sweetie.
