The young girl had been following Kim and Bosco for a while now as they
walked through the park. Kim and Bosco hadn't noticed at first, but Bosco
had caught sight of her just a short time ago as she leaned against a tree
about five feet from them. Now, here she was near them again as they
joined hands and enjoyed the sunshine.
They had about two hours before Joey got home from school but Catherine was going to pick Joey up because they both had to work tonight. They had dropped Johnny off to Catherine already because he needed his nap.
Kim caught Bosco looking casually over his shoulder out of the corner of her eye. "That better not be some hot chick you're checking out, Boscorelli," she said casually.
"Actually, I was just trying to get a better look at that killer ass you have, Boscorelli," Bosco quipped and received Kim's foot against his backside as they continued to walk.
"Seriously, what're you looking at? You're not in 'cop mode' already, are you?" Kim asked him.
"Cop mode? What the heck is that? Anyway, I was just noticing that young girl that's following us. She's been there every time I turn around for the past half hour or so, but she looks away as soon as I turn," he told her. Kim casually turned around to look behind them and noticed the girl that he was talking about.
"She seems a little young to be hanging around the park by herself. You don't recognize her?" Kim asked him and he shook his head.
"Do you recognize her?" Bosco asked her and she too shook her head.
"Let's sit down here on the bench and see if she comes over. Maybe she's in trouble or something," Kim suggested. They walked over to an empty bench and sat down, leaving some space at the end of the bench in case the girl came over.
Kim watched some birds chasing each other on the grass across from them while Bosco put his head back to absorb the sunshine. He felt a slight nudge and then Kim's voice in a whisper, "She's making her way over, don't move."
After a few more moments, Bosco heard Kim say, "Hi. How are you?" He opened his eyes and brought his head forward to look at the girl. She stood alongside the bench, looking at the ground. Kim and Bosco both noticed the girl's disheveled appearance.
"Are you here by yourself, or is your Mom or Dad with you?" Bosco asked in a friendly tone. He estimated the girl to be about eight or nine. The girl shook her head slightly.
"No? You're here by yourself?" he asked her and she nodded.
"Are you lost?" Kim asked.
"No," the girl said simply. "My name is Amanda."
"Hi, Amanda. My name is Kim and this is my husband, Bosco," Kim said, indicating Bosco.
"I know you," the little girl said timidly to Bosco.
"You do? How do you know me?" Bosco asked her, smiling so that he didn't scare her off.
"From school. You came to talk to my class one day," the girl answered. Bosco remembered the time that the Lieutenant was ticked at him for something and made him fill in for one of the other officers that handled the school programs.
"And you remember me from that long ago? I'm impressed. So, what're you doing here today? No school?" he asked her.
"I didn't go to school today. Or yesterday either," she said, and Kim noticed a glassy look to her eyes, like they were tearing.
"Why not, Amanda? Are you sick?" she asked the girl. Amanda shook her head.
"No. I'm trying to take care of Momma, but she won't answer me," the girl said finally.
"Where's your Mom?" Bosco asked, sitting forward on the bench. "Maybe we can help you take care of her."
"Daddy said not to call anyone to help. He said that Momma needed to rest. I just recognized you while you were walking and I wanted to talk to someone," she said.
"How long has your Mom been resting?" Kim asked, growing more and more concerned.
"Since yesterday. But, Daddy said to leave her alone before he left. They had a fight," she answered.
"Did Daddy hurt your Mom?" Bosco asked, trying to keep his temper in check. The little girl nodded her head.
"Yeah, but he doesn't mean it," Amanda said.
"Why don't you show me where your Mom's resting," Kim said to the girl, standing up. "I can see if she needs anything. Maybe she's hungry. Have you eaten today?"
"No. I don't know. Daddy said to leave Momma alone," the girl said, slightly afraid.
"It's okay. We won't bother her. We'll just check on her together, okay?" Bosco said, standing up. The little girl agreed and led the way down the trail near some trees. Bosco and Kim could tell by the positioning of the woman that she wasn't just resting. Kim bent over and felt for a pulse on the woman, finding none. She looked up at Bosco and shook her head, indicating that the woman was dead.
"Kim, why don't you take Amanda over and get her an ice cream. I'll stay here with her Mom," Bosco said, taking out his cell phone as Kim led the girl away.
"This is Boscorelli, Badge Number 3379, from the 55th Precinct. I'm in Central Park at Park Avenue. I found an apparent homicide victim. Start some units, the Sergeant and Crime Scene to my location. I'll stand-by here," Bosco reported.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Kim kept Amanda away from the area while the police department processed the scene and transported the woman's body to the morgue. Now all that was left was to talk with the little girl and try to find out what happened and possibly where the girl's father could be found.
Bosco walked over toward the edge of the park where Kim was with Amanda. He had a woman from Child Services with him. She would take Amanda and find her someone to stay with until they were able to find any family to take care of her.
Bosco introduced her to the woman from Child Services and watched as the woman and young girl made there way over to her car.
"Did she say anything else?" Bosco asked Kim.
"No. I think she knows that her Mom is more than just sick, but I'm not sure it's sunken in yet," Kim told him.
"I wanna catch this bastard," Bosco said through a clenched jaw as he took Kim's hand and they headed toward his mustang to get to work.
They had about two hours before Joey got home from school but Catherine was going to pick Joey up because they both had to work tonight. They had dropped Johnny off to Catherine already because he needed his nap.
Kim caught Bosco looking casually over his shoulder out of the corner of her eye. "That better not be some hot chick you're checking out, Boscorelli," she said casually.
"Actually, I was just trying to get a better look at that killer ass you have, Boscorelli," Bosco quipped and received Kim's foot against his backside as they continued to walk.
"Seriously, what're you looking at? You're not in 'cop mode' already, are you?" Kim asked him.
"Cop mode? What the heck is that? Anyway, I was just noticing that young girl that's following us. She's been there every time I turn around for the past half hour or so, but she looks away as soon as I turn," he told her. Kim casually turned around to look behind them and noticed the girl that he was talking about.
"She seems a little young to be hanging around the park by herself. You don't recognize her?" Kim asked him and he shook his head.
"Do you recognize her?" Bosco asked her and she too shook her head.
"Let's sit down here on the bench and see if she comes over. Maybe she's in trouble or something," Kim suggested. They walked over to an empty bench and sat down, leaving some space at the end of the bench in case the girl came over.
Kim watched some birds chasing each other on the grass across from them while Bosco put his head back to absorb the sunshine. He felt a slight nudge and then Kim's voice in a whisper, "She's making her way over, don't move."
After a few more moments, Bosco heard Kim say, "Hi. How are you?" He opened his eyes and brought his head forward to look at the girl. She stood alongside the bench, looking at the ground. Kim and Bosco both noticed the girl's disheveled appearance.
"Are you here by yourself, or is your Mom or Dad with you?" Bosco asked in a friendly tone. He estimated the girl to be about eight or nine. The girl shook her head slightly.
"No? You're here by yourself?" he asked her and she nodded.
"Are you lost?" Kim asked.
"No," the girl said simply. "My name is Amanda."
"Hi, Amanda. My name is Kim and this is my husband, Bosco," Kim said, indicating Bosco.
"I know you," the little girl said timidly to Bosco.
"You do? How do you know me?" Bosco asked her, smiling so that he didn't scare her off.
"From school. You came to talk to my class one day," the girl answered. Bosco remembered the time that the Lieutenant was ticked at him for something and made him fill in for one of the other officers that handled the school programs.
"And you remember me from that long ago? I'm impressed. So, what're you doing here today? No school?" he asked her.
"I didn't go to school today. Or yesterday either," she said, and Kim noticed a glassy look to her eyes, like they were tearing.
"Why not, Amanda? Are you sick?" she asked the girl. Amanda shook her head.
"No. I'm trying to take care of Momma, but she won't answer me," the girl said finally.
"Where's your Mom?" Bosco asked, sitting forward on the bench. "Maybe we can help you take care of her."
"Daddy said not to call anyone to help. He said that Momma needed to rest. I just recognized you while you were walking and I wanted to talk to someone," she said.
"How long has your Mom been resting?" Kim asked, growing more and more concerned.
"Since yesterday. But, Daddy said to leave her alone before he left. They had a fight," she answered.
"Did Daddy hurt your Mom?" Bosco asked, trying to keep his temper in check. The little girl nodded her head.
"Yeah, but he doesn't mean it," Amanda said.
"Why don't you show me where your Mom's resting," Kim said to the girl, standing up. "I can see if she needs anything. Maybe she's hungry. Have you eaten today?"
"No. I don't know. Daddy said to leave Momma alone," the girl said, slightly afraid.
"It's okay. We won't bother her. We'll just check on her together, okay?" Bosco said, standing up. The little girl agreed and led the way down the trail near some trees. Bosco and Kim could tell by the positioning of the woman that she wasn't just resting. Kim bent over and felt for a pulse on the woman, finding none. She looked up at Bosco and shook her head, indicating that the woman was dead.
"Kim, why don't you take Amanda over and get her an ice cream. I'll stay here with her Mom," Bosco said, taking out his cell phone as Kim led the girl away.
"This is Boscorelli, Badge Number 3379, from the 55th Precinct. I'm in Central Park at Park Avenue. I found an apparent homicide victim. Start some units, the Sergeant and Crime Scene to my location. I'll stand-by here," Bosco reported.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Kim kept Amanda away from the area while the police department processed the scene and transported the woman's body to the morgue. Now all that was left was to talk with the little girl and try to find out what happened and possibly where the girl's father could be found.
Bosco walked over toward the edge of the park where Kim was with Amanda. He had a woman from Child Services with him. She would take Amanda and find her someone to stay with until they were able to find any family to take care of her.
Bosco introduced her to the woman from Child Services and watched as the woman and young girl made there way over to her car.
"Did she say anything else?" Bosco asked Kim.
"No. I think she knows that her Mom is more than just sick, but I'm not sure it's sunken in yet," Kim told him.
"I wanna catch this bastard," Bosco said through a clenched jaw as he took Kim's hand and they headed toward his mustang to get to work.
