"What the bloody hell?" demanded Austin, running to the window after an enormous crash sounded from outside. He saw the white angel birdbath lying broken on the concrete near the pool.
He looked at Joe. "I'll deal with you later," he promised, dropping the whip and leaving the room.
Austin ran down the stairs and out to the backyard. "What happened?" he demanded of his new employee.
"I'm sorry," Frank said, trying to look distressed, but grateful Austin had come outside. If he was here, then Joe had to be okay.
"What happened?" Austin repeated his question.
"I was looking around the grounds," Frank lied. "I was trying to determine how to trim those branches," he added, pointing to a tree in the foreground, "and I backed into the birdbath. It fell and broke. I'm sorry," he added. "If you still want me to work for you, you can deduct the cost from my check."
"Don't worry about it," Austin told him, smiling. "Accidents happen. I'll just get a new one. But do try to be more careful in the future."
"Yes, Sir," Frank promised. He didn't understand how Austin could seem so nice and be so horrible to his own children. "Um, would you care to show me what my duties are?" he asked, not wanting Austin to return to the house yet. He didn't want this event to be taken out on Joe.
"I believe Gary is going to show you everything you need to know tomorrow," Austin replied. "Look, don't worry about the birdbath. It's okay, really," he added, turning and starting to leave.
Frank was desperately trying to search for something to occupy Austin with when the butler came to the back door. "Sir," Charles shouted at Austin. "There is someone here to see you about the postion of personal assistant."
"Have him seated," Austin told him. "I'll be there in a minute," he added, a slight hint of frustration in his voice. "If you'll excuse me," he said to Frank, then left.
Frank watched him enter the house, then walked around the house, making his way back to the kitchen a few minutes later. He saw Joe in the kitchen making Paul's infant formula. He entered the kitchen. "Joe," he whispered.
Joe jumped as if he had heard a gunshot at close range. He turned around, his eyes wide. A few seconds later, his breathing returned to normal and he gave Frank a wan smile.
"You okay?" Frank asked, his eyes bright.
Joe nodded. "Frank?" he asked.
Frank nodded. "I got a job as assistant groundskeeper," Frank told him.
"Frank, can you get some more diapers? Cloth ones are okay. I can wash them," Joe said, turning back to his task.
Frank came over and put his hand on Joe's shoulder. Joe stiffened and caught his breath at the unexpected contact. Frank quickly released him.
"I'm...I'm sorry," Joe said, trying to fight the tears which threatened.
"This isn't going to work," Frank said in concern. "You have to leave. Take Paul and run-a-way."
"No," Joe refused. "We would be running forever," he said. "He said he had covered his tracks. Maybe I can find something here which can help convict him."
"Dad's in there now," Frank told him. "He is going to be Moody's personal assistant. Dad can search the place. You have to leave before he really hurts you."
Joe turned pleading eyes on his older brother. "I can't," Joe whispered. "Don't you understand? If I do and he catches me, he will kill me or something worse. And there is no telling what he would do to Paul. He was in the basement on the floor, alone, when I got here. They aren't taking care of him," Joe looked into Frank's eyes, begging him to understand. "They have already started doing to him what they did to me. And it only gets worse."
"What did they do to you?" Frank demanded.
Joe shook his head. "There isn't time to tell you," he said, filling the now sterile baby bottles. "Even if dad keeps Austin occupied, there is Charles. He might hear us and he would tell. Please leave now. Please?" Joe begged. He knew the time he had now was only a reprieve. Austin had never forgotten the beatings Joe was due in the past and he doubted he would forget them now. If Frank were caught near him, it would just be that much worse.
"But I heard him," Frank argued. "He's going to hurt you."
"No. He will forget about it and..and if I stay out of his way, I'll be fine," Joe lied as convincingly as he could. Frank cared about him very much, and Joe felt the same way about his new baby brother. He would do whatever he had to in order to keep him safe.
Frank gave a deep sigh of resignation and nodded. He walked toward the door. "Yell if you need me," he told Joe. "And I will be checking on you," he promised before leaving.
Joe finished his task and returned upstairs to his brother. In the living room, Mr. Hardy fnished his interview and was told he could begin the day after tomorrow. He could use tomorrow to move his things into the west wing on the second floor.
After Mr. Hardy had left, Angela looked over to her husband. "We have a dinner date with the Freemonts," she reminded him.
"That's right," Austin said. "I'll have Charles keep an eye on Joesph while we are gone. And when we return, Joe and I will finish what we began earlier."
Frank watched as the Moodys exited the house and left the grounds. "What are you doing?" Gary's voice startled Frank and he let the curtain fall from his hand.
Frank turned around and saw Gary staring at him suspiciously. "I was watching a falling star," Frank lied. "Where are you going?" he asked, noticing Gary had put on a fresh pair of jeans and a button up shirt.
"I have a date, kid," Gary told him. "I'll see you later. Don't wait up," he added, leaving.
Frank waited a few minutes, making sure Gary had left for the evening, then left the field house and crept up to the back of the main house. Seeing no one about, he turned the knob and found it locked. He pulled out his lock pick kit that his dad had given him for Christmas last year, and unlocked it. He entered the kitchen, locking the door back behind him.
Frank saw Charles sitting in the living room, his feet up on the coffee table and watching a movie. He silently climbed the stairs to the second floor. Hearing a noise coming from one of the rooms down the hallway, he made his way down the hall to the room and listened at the door. He pushed the door open a bit and saw Joe rifling through a drawer.
"What are you doing?" Frank hissed, coming inside.
Joe spun around in terror, his hand flying to his heart in relief when he realized it was only Frank. "Don....don't do that," he begged, his breathing slowly returning to normal.
"What are you doing?" Frank repeated his question, his face a mask of worry. "Dad and I are doing the investigation. If you get caught, there's no telling what your dad will do to you."
"I know," Joe admitted. "But if I can help while they are gone, I will. The sooner this is over, the better."
"Have you found anything?" Frank asked, pulling open another drawer and going through it's contents.
"Not yet," Joe said, with a small shake of his head. "But I do know who some of his friends are. Maybe you could get at Austin that way."
"You mean, as an accessory?" Frank inquired.
"I'll settle for anything," Joe stated. "He and Ralph Freemont have been friends as long as I can rember," Joe stated. "That is where they went tonight. I remember Ronnie Harrison and he used to have something going on and a man named Carl Sturgiss. I don't know what the connection was, but Sturgiss used to come over once a week and he was just as mean as Austin was."
"We'll check them out," Frank promised. "And, I will go look through his office, once I find it," he began.
"First floor, the second door past the kitchen on the right," Joe told him.
"Okay," Frank said. "But you go back to Paul. Stay out of sight as much as possible," he ordered.
Joe nodded, knowing it wouldn't matter, but not daring to tell Frank. If Frank or his dad found out what Joe knew, then they would cease investigating and get him and Paul out of there and wind up in prison for kidnapping. He couldn't let them suffer because of him. He would never allow that to happen.
Joe went back to the nursery and checked to see his brother was still asleep, then sat down in the rocker and fell asleep. Several hours later, he was pulled uncerimoniously to his feet. "Hi Joesph," Austin said after Joe had opened his eyes. "It's time to finish what we started earlier."
He looked at Joe. "I'll deal with you later," he promised, dropping the whip and leaving the room.
Austin ran down the stairs and out to the backyard. "What happened?" he demanded of his new employee.
"I'm sorry," Frank said, trying to look distressed, but grateful Austin had come outside. If he was here, then Joe had to be okay.
"What happened?" Austin repeated his question.
"I was looking around the grounds," Frank lied. "I was trying to determine how to trim those branches," he added, pointing to a tree in the foreground, "and I backed into the birdbath. It fell and broke. I'm sorry," he added. "If you still want me to work for you, you can deduct the cost from my check."
"Don't worry about it," Austin told him, smiling. "Accidents happen. I'll just get a new one. But do try to be more careful in the future."
"Yes, Sir," Frank promised. He didn't understand how Austin could seem so nice and be so horrible to his own children. "Um, would you care to show me what my duties are?" he asked, not wanting Austin to return to the house yet. He didn't want this event to be taken out on Joe.
"I believe Gary is going to show you everything you need to know tomorrow," Austin replied. "Look, don't worry about the birdbath. It's okay, really," he added, turning and starting to leave.
Frank was desperately trying to search for something to occupy Austin with when the butler came to the back door. "Sir," Charles shouted at Austin. "There is someone here to see you about the postion of personal assistant."
"Have him seated," Austin told him. "I'll be there in a minute," he added, a slight hint of frustration in his voice. "If you'll excuse me," he said to Frank, then left.
Frank watched him enter the house, then walked around the house, making his way back to the kitchen a few minutes later. He saw Joe in the kitchen making Paul's infant formula. He entered the kitchen. "Joe," he whispered.
Joe jumped as if he had heard a gunshot at close range. He turned around, his eyes wide. A few seconds later, his breathing returned to normal and he gave Frank a wan smile.
"You okay?" Frank asked, his eyes bright.
Joe nodded. "Frank?" he asked.
Frank nodded. "I got a job as assistant groundskeeper," Frank told him.
"Frank, can you get some more diapers? Cloth ones are okay. I can wash them," Joe said, turning back to his task.
Frank came over and put his hand on Joe's shoulder. Joe stiffened and caught his breath at the unexpected contact. Frank quickly released him.
"I'm...I'm sorry," Joe said, trying to fight the tears which threatened.
"This isn't going to work," Frank said in concern. "You have to leave. Take Paul and run-a-way."
"No," Joe refused. "We would be running forever," he said. "He said he had covered his tracks. Maybe I can find something here which can help convict him."
"Dad's in there now," Frank told him. "He is going to be Moody's personal assistant. Dad can search the place. You have to leave before he really hurts you."
Joe turned pleading eyes on his older brother. "I can't," Joe whispered. "Don't you understand? If I do and he catches me, he will kill me or something worse. And there is no telling what he would do to Paul. He was in the basement on the floor, alone, when I got here. They aren't taking care of him," Joe looked into Frank's eyes, begging him to understand. "They have already started doing to him what they did to me. And it only gets worse."
"What did they do to you?" Frank demanded.
Joe shook his head. "There isn't time to tell you," he said, filling the now sterile baby bottles. "Even if dad keeps Austin occupied, there is Charles. He might hear us and he would tell. Please leave now. Please?" Joe begged. He knew the time he had now was only a reprieve. Austin had never forgotten the beatings Joe was due in the past and he doubted he would forget them now. If Frank were caught near him, it would just be that much worse.
"But I heard him," Frank argued. "He's going to hurt you."
"No. He will forget about it and..and if I stay out of his way, I'll be fine," Joe lied as convincingly as he could. Frank cared about him very much, and Joe felt the same way about his new baby brother. He would do whatever he had to in order to keep him safe.
Frank gave a deep sigh of resignation and nodded. He walked toward the door. "Yell if you need me," he told Joe. "And I will be checking on you," he promised before leaving.
Joe finished his task and returned upstairs to his brother. In the living room, Mr. Hardy fnished his interview and was told he could begin the day after tomorrow. He could use tomorrow to move his things into the west wing on the second floor.
After Mr. Hardy had left, Angela looked over to her husband. "We have a dinner date with the Freemonts," she reminded him.
"That's right," Austin said. "I'll have Charles keep an eye on Joesph while we are gone. And when we return, Joe and I will finish what we began earlier."
Frank watched as the Moodys exited the house and left the grounds. "What are you doing?" Gary's voice startled Frank and he let the curtain fall from his hand.
Frank turned around and saw Gary staring at him suspiciously. "I was watching a falling star," Frank lied. "Where are you going?" he asked, noticing Gary had put on a fresh pair of jeans and a button up shirt.
"I have a date, kid," Gary told him. "I'll see you later. Don't wait up," he added, leaving.
Frank waited a few minutes, making sure Gary had left for the evening, then left the field house and crept up to the back of the main house. Seeing no one about, he turned the knob and found it locked. He pulled out his lock pick kit that his dad had given him for Christmas last year, and unlocked it. He entered the kitchen, locking the door back behind him.
Frank saw Charles sitting in the living room, his feet up on the coffee table and watching a movie. He silently climbed the stairs to the second floor. Hearing a noise coming from one of the rooms down the hallway, he made his way down the hall to the room and listened at the door. He pushed the door open a bit and saw Joe rifling through a drawer.
"What are you doing?" Frank hissed, coming inside.
Joe spun around in terror, his hand flying to his heart in relief when he realized it was only Frank. "Don....don't do that," he begged, his breathing slowly returning to normal.
"What are you doing?" Frank repeated his question, his face a mask of worry. "Dad and I are doing the investigation. If you get caught, there's no telling what your dad will do to you."
"I know," Joe admitted. "But if I can help while they are gone, I will. The sooner this is over, the better."
"Have you found anything?" Frank asked, pulling open another drawer and going through it's contents.
"Not yet," Joe said, with a small shake of his head. "But I do know who some of his friends are. Maybe you could get at Austin that way."
"You mean, as an accessory?" Frank inquired.
"I'll settle for anything," Joe stated. "He and Ralph Freemont have been friends as long as I can rember," Joe stated. "That is where they went tonight. I remember Ronnie Harrison and he used to have something going on and a man named Carl Sturgiss. I don't know what the connection was, but Sturgiss used to come over once a week and he was just as mean as Austin was."
"We'll check them out," Frank promised. "And, I will go look through his office, once I find it," he began.
"First floor, the second door past the kitchen on the right," Joe told him.
"Okay," Frank said. "But you go back to Paul. Stay out of sight as much as possible," he ordered.
Joe nodded, knowing it wouldn't matter, but not daring to tell Frank. If Frank or his dad found out what Joe knew, then they would cease investigating and get him and Paul out of there and wind up in prison for kidnapping. He couldn't let them suffer because of him. He would never allow that to happen.
Joe went back to the nursery and checked to see his brother was still asleep, then sat down in the rocker and fell asleep. Several hours later, he was pulled uncerimoniously to his feet. "Hi Joesph," Austin said after Joe had opened his eyes. "It's time to finish what we started earlier."