Revenge
Chapter 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucas' and Tommy's parents were talking to the policemen that had responded to their call for help.
"Yes, Ma'am. And how long do you think they've been gone?" asked one of the officers. They were in the living room as officers outside were teamed up to commence searches. Each team was to search their assigned grid and report back to the command post that had been set up in the driveway.
"I don't know. They left while we were sleeping. Tommy was staying overnight and they were there at 11:30 when I checked no them before Roger and I went to sleep," she explained.
"Okay. Do you have a list of their friends - somewhere they liked to hang out..?" the officer asked.
Lucas' father was listening to the questions and trying to think of places where the boys liked to hang out. "They're boys," he thought to himself. "They go everywhere." He glanced at the television screen and again saw the picture of the missing police officer and the car that he may have been driving.
"Wait a minute," Roger said suddenly and all eyes were on him. He pointed toward the television. "That officer that's missing - that Officer Boscorelli," he said, looking back at the officers.
"Yes, Sir?" the senior officer replied.
"He drives a blue mustang, right?" Roger said, getting a confirmation.
"Yes, Sir. Do you know something about that?" asked the officer.
Roger looked at his wife. "That bruise. Remember the bruise that Lucas has on his chest? He said he got it when he was trying to get Bailey out of that old garage. And those blue chips of paint that you got out of Bailey's fur when you were brushing him!" he said, getting excited.
"Sir?" the police officer said, confused. "Williams, better get someone from the command post in here." Officer Williams went outside to get the Officer in Charge.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Faith had just finished relaying the information that they'd come up with to Lieutenant Swersky. She was now feverishly looking through the stacks of paperwork she had pulled a few days ago.
"Wait! His name wasn't Richard," she said, finding the file. "His name's Paul Richard Peterson. Here's his address," she said, showing the Lieutenant. "That's if he still lives there," she added as she went over to talk to Rose, Mikey and Trisha.
"I think we're on to something," she said brightly. "We've got an old address on this guy and we're going to start there."
"But Faith. You didn't answer me. What happened to the car that ran into you that day?" Rose repeated her question.
"I know," Trisha said solemnly. "The driver of that car was the husband and father of the three that were killed. Maurice told me. The guy never got over it. Constantly blamed Maurice because he was driving the police car. He tried a bunch of times to sue the department, Maurice and Faith. He lost every time. He was coming to pick them up at the park, but he'd stopped after work for a few drinks. He was drunk. He didn't even know he'd killed them until he woke up at the hospital two days later," Trisha said, looking over at Faith for confirmation.
"That's right," she said, thinking about how close she had come to losing her children in the park earlier that week.
"Faith!" Lieutenant Swersky called to her from the doorway. "I just checked that address. That's the same street where those two kids went missing from," he said and Faith followed him. She turned back to the three of them.
"I'll call you as soon as we find him. I promise we'll find him," she called to them.
She and the Lieutenant hurried to the door as Sully and Davis were coming into the building. "Faith? What's up?" Davis asked her.
"We may have found him. C'mon," she said and they turned to follow her as she gave them the address.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Please tell this officer what you just told me, Sir," the Captain asked Lucas' father.
"There's an old abandoned house across the street. It's been vacant for years - before we moved in. Anyway, the story around the neighborhood is that it's haunted. Anyway, yesterday Lucas said that Bailey, our dog, had gotten lose and he chased him over to that old place. Bailey got into the garage and somehow Lucas squeezed in through a crack in the building to get him out. He fell while he was in there and hit his chest on what he thought was an old car. He had a bruise and eventually, as the bruise developed, we could make out a word in the bruise. It read Mustang," he said, causing Faith's hopes to rise.
"Did we check out this place?" Faith asked, turning to the Captain. He put up a hand to tell her to let the man finish.
"Sorry. You were saying, Sir?" Faith said, turning back to the worried father.
"Well, a little later, my wife was brushing the dog and found some blue paint chips near the metal tags of his collar. Lucas told her that the dog had gotten under the car and that he thought the dog may have scratched the car with his dog tags as he pulled away. It looked like the same color paint that the officer's car is," he finished.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
As Tommy reached the back door of the house to make his escape and go for help, he heard a yell and a crash. He hesitated, wondering if he should turn back. As if sensing his hesitation, he heard his friend yell to him.
"Go, Tommy! Go get help! Hurry!" Lucas yelled as the man came for him, all that much angrier that Lucas had tripped him and caused him to lose his grip on Tommy.
"Shut up, you little brat!" yelled the man as he reached for Lucas. He had him by the scruff of the neck and was ready to strike him when he heard a yell and was suddenly attacked from the side.
Bosco had regained consciousness and saw that the man was about to strike the boy. He managed to get up enough energy to throw himself toward the man and knock him off his feet. He was hoping that the boy would be able to escape and go for help. Bosco didn't know that the boy's friend was there and had gone for help already. The three of them fell to the floor and, unfortunately, Lucas landed underneath both of them. Lucas cried out in pain as he felt and heard the crack of his leg beneath him.
"Ahhh!" he yelled out in pain. Bosco was able to remain conscious somehow. He knew that he had someone there that needed his protection. The man rolled out from under Bosco, causing more pain to Lucas in the process.
"Ssshhh," Bosco said, trying to calm the boy. "Just hold still. It'll be okay," he said, trying to reassure him. Suddenly, he felt the pain in his side as the man kicked him in the side opposite his bullet wound with his work boot.
He closed his eyes and tried to draw in a breath, fighting to stay conscious, not wanting the boy to be further frightened. He gasped a few times as he fought to control the pain. The man ran out into the hallway to try to get to the other boy. Bosco rolled off of the boy and saw that his lower leg bone was sticking out of the skin and he was bleeding.
The boy hadn't started crying yet due to the shock of what had just happened. As soon as Lucas looked at his leg and saw the damage, the fear and pain kicked in and he started to cry.
Paul Richard Peterson looked out the window and saw the many police cars and news crews across the street. He ran back into the bedroom and took out his gun. "Shut that kid up!" he said through clenched teeth.
Lucas tried to stifle his cries and was somewhat successful. Bosco managed to get up to a sitting position, leaning against the wall, and drew the boy closer to him to comfort him.
The man raised the gun....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...
Chapter 27
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lucas' and Tommy's parents were talking to the policemen that had responded to their call for help.
"Yes, Ma'am. And how long do you think they've been gone?" asked one of the officers. They were in the living room as officers outside were teamed up to commence searches. Each team was to search their assigned grid and report back to the command post that had been set up in the driveway.
"I don't know. They left while we were sleeping. Tommy was staying overnight and they were there at 11:30 when I checked no them before Roger and I went to sleep," she explained.
"Okay. Do you have a list of their friends - somewhere they liked to hang out..?" the officer asked.
Lucas' father was listening to the questions and trying to think of places where the boys liked to hang out. "They're boys," he thought to himself. "They go everywhere." He glanced at the television screen and again saw the picture of the missing police officer and the car that he may have been driving.
"Wait a minute," Roger said suddenly and all eyes were on him. He pointed toward the television. "That officer that's missing - that Officer Boscorelli," he said, looking back at the officers.
"Yes, Sir?" the senior officer replied.
"He drives a blue mustang, right?" Roger said, getting a confirmation.
"Yes, Sir. Do you know something about that?" asked the officer.
Roger looked at his wife. "That bruise. Remember the bruise that Lucas has on his chest? He said he got it when he was trying to get Bailey out of that old garage. And those blue chips of paint that you got out of Bailey's fur when you were brushing him!" he said, getting excited.
"Sir?" the police officer said, confused. "Williams, better get someone from the command post in here." Officer Williams went outside to get the Officer in Charge.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Faith had just finished relaying the information that they'd come up with to Lieutenant Swersky. She was now feverishly looking through the stacks of paperwork she had pulled a few days ago.
"Wait! His name wasn't Richard," she said, finding the file. "His name's Paul Richard Peterson. Here's his address," she said, showing the Lieutenant. "That's if he still lives there," she added as she went over to talk to Rose, Mikey and Trisha.
"I think we're on to something," she said brightly. "We've got an old address on this guy and we're going to start there."
"But Faith. You didn't answer me. What happened to the car that ran into you that day?" Rose repeated her question.
"I know," Trisha said solemnly. "The driver of that car was the husband and father of the three that were killed. Maurice told me. The guy never got over it. Constantly blamed Maurice because he was driving the police car. He tried a bunch of times to sue the department, Maurice and Faith. He lost every time. He was coming to pick them up at the park, but he'd stopped after work for a few drinks. He was drunk. He didn't even know he'd killed them until he woke up at the hospital two days later," Trisha said, looking over at Faith for confirmation.
"That's right," she said, thinking about how close she had come to losing her children in the park earlier that week.
"Faith!" Lieutenant Swersky called to her from the doorway. "I just checked that address. That's the same street where those two kids went missing from," he said and Faith followed him. She turned back to the three of them.
"I'll call you as soon as we find him. I promise we'll find him," she called to them.
She and the Lieutenant hurried to the door as Sully and Davis were coming into the building. "Faith? What's up?" Davis asked her.
"We may have found him. C'mon," she said and they turned to follow her as she gave them the address.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
"Please tell this officer what you just told me, Sir," the Captain asked Lucas' father.
"There's an old abandoned house across the street. It's been vacant for years - before we moved in. Anyway, the story around the neighborhood is that it's haunted. Anyway, yesterday Lucas said that Bailey, our dog, had gotten lose and he chased him over to that old place. Bailey got into the garage and somehow Lucas squeezed in through a crack in the building to get him out. He fell while he was in there and hit his chest on what he thought was an old car. He had a bruise and eventually, as the bruise developed, we could make out a word in the bruise. It read Mustang," he said, causing Faith's hopes to rise.
"Did we check out this place?" Faith asked, turning to the Captain. He put up a hand to tell her to let the man finish.
"Sorry. You were saying, Sir?" Faith said, turning back to the worried father.
"Well, a little later, my wife was brushing the dog and found some blue paint chips near the metal tags of his collar. Lucas told her that the dog had gotten under the car and that he thought the dog may have scratched the car with his dog tags as he pulled away. It looked like the same color paint that the officer's car is," he finished.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
As Tommy reached the back door of the house to make his escape and go for help, he heard a yell and a crash. He hesitated, wondering if he should turn back. As if sensing his hesitation, he heard his friend yell to him.
"Go, Tommy! Go get help! Hurry!" Lucas yelled as the man came for him, all that much angrier that Lucas had tripped him and caused him to lose his grip on Tommy.
"Shut up, you little brat!" yelled the man as he reached for Lucas. He had him by the scruff of the neck and was ready to strike him when he heard a yell and was suddenly attacked from the side.
Bosco had regained consciousness and saw that the man was about to strike the boy. He managed to get up enough energy to throw himself toward the man and knock him off his feet. He was hoping that the boy would be able to escape and go for help. Bosco didn't know that the boy's friend was there and had gone for help already. The three of them fell to the floor and, unfortunately, Lucas landed underneath both of them. Lucas cried out in pain as he felt and heard the crack of his leg beneath him.
"Ahhh!" he yelled out in pain. Bosco was able to remain conscious somehow. He knew that he had someone there that needed his protection. The man rolled out from under Bosco, causing more pain to Lucas in the process.
"Ssshhh," Bosco said, trying to calm the boy. "Just hold still. It'll be okay," he said, trying to reassure him. Suddenly, he felt the pain in his side as the man kicked him in the side opposite his bullet wound with his work boot.
He closed his eyes and tried to draw in a breath, fighting to stay conscious, not wanting the boy to be further frightened. He gasped a few times as he fought to control the pain. The man ran out into the hallway to try to get to the other boy. Bosco rolled off of the boy and saw that his lower leg bone was sticking out of the skin and he was bleeding.
The boy hadn't started crying yet due to the shock of what had just happened. As soon as Lucas looked at his leg and saw the damage, the fear and pain kicked in and he started to cry.
Paul Richard Peterson looked out the window and saw the many police cars and news crews across the street. He ran back into the bedroom and took out his gun. "Shut that kid up!" he said through clenched teeth.
Lucas tried to stifle his cries and was somewhat successful. Bosco managed to get up to a sitting position, leaning against the wall, and drew the boy closer to him to comfort him.
The man raised the gun....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC...