Chapter 2

Mrs. B arrived home at about the same time as Sheriff Tom Jenkins.

"Mrs. Barracus, where is Face?"

Mrs. B looked around and saw that the puppies were gone from their pen, but Face's car was parked and replied, "he must be in the house having his after-school snack. What is this all about?" she added as they walked in.

"Face attacked his teacher and knocked him to the floor. I was told that the attack was unprovoked; they were discussing his outburst during class when he attacked his teacher and left him squirming in pain on the floor," explained the Sheriff.

"Face?! Answer me at once!" cried Mrs. B. "Face would not attack anyone unless he was attacked first!"

It was then that Mrs. B saw the note and, after reading it, passed it on to the sheriff. "He's scared. He has taken the puppies and has run away!"

"This doesn't look good, Mrs. Barracus. His running away will make him look guilty of the charges against him. Where is Hannibal?"

"On a case, I don't expect him and the team back before tomorrow at the earliest."

"As the boy's guardian, he needs to be here. This is a serious assault case!"

"I'll call him at once and tell you when they will be back," promised Mrs.B.

Then Tom nodded before leaving to begin the search for the missing boy.

As she watched the Sheriff leave, the phone rang. "Hello? Oh, Scooter, is there any chance you all are on your way home?"

"We aren't quite finished yet, Mama. What's wrong?"

"Face is in trouble. The Sheriff was just here. He said that Face attacked his history teacher and baby; he said the attack was unprovoked." Mrs. B explained emotionally.

A moment later, Hannibal was on the phone. "Mrs. B, will you tell me exactly everything you know?"

"Face came in upset yesterday. His history teacher assigned the class to write what they knew about the Viet Nam War. Face decided to write about some of his experiences in the war. The teacher accused him of writing fiction, and when our boy tried to explain, showing a picture of you all in uniform, the teacher accused him of trying to embarrass him in front of the class."

"Him? I thought that Face's history teacher was a female…Mrs. Wilson?"

"She is on maternity leave, and Philip Denton replaced her. He's the one who has taken a dislike to Face. He made him stay after school and write one hundred times so as not to embarrass his teacher. Face was an hour late returning home. I don't know what happened this time, and the Sheriff only told me that Face attacked his teacher, and it was unprovoked."

"What did Face say?"

"He's not here…he took the puppies and ran away. The Sheriff says that his running makes him look guilty. I wasn't here when he arrived, and he left me a note saying that if self-defense but no one will believe him and that he is scared."

"Get in touch with his friends and see if they know anything about what happened. I think that either Timmy or Neal is in his history class. We will try and hurry up on our end and get this case completed. I will call back later to see what you have learned."

"But Hannibal, he is out there alone."

"Mrs. B, he survived Viet Nam; he will be fine. I bet he is hiding until we arrive. He knows how to build a concealed shelter."

Later that night, Hannibal called to say that they were on their way home. They caught a break and were able to wrap up the case a day early. They should be in early tomorrow. "Now, what have you learned about what happened?"

"Timmy called me. He is in Face's class and told me what might have led to Face's present situation. He said that Mr. Denton arraigned for someone to come and talk to the class about the Viet Nam War, someone who had visited the country and even spoke to the troops. Most of the class were not familiar with this person, except for Face, who knew her. Timmy said her name is Jane Foster…Hannibal? What's wrong? You sound surprised?"

"I can just imagine how Face reacted. He called her traitor, didn't he?"

"Yes, and then went on the explain what she did. She's an actress, isn't she?"

"Yes, but when she visited Viet Nam, it was not with the U.S. troops she met with but the Viet Cong and took pictures and with them. I bet the kid told the class this?"

"Timmy said he did, and when she left the room, Mr. Denton followed, but before he left, he told Face that he would take care of him when he returned. Timmy tried to get Face to leave, he feared that he would be punished for his comments, but when our boy tried, Mr. Denton and Ms. Foster returned before he could get away. He told Face to apologize for his lies, and when our boy wouldn't, Mr. Denton dismissed the class early and wouldn't let Face leave."

"Did Timmy see or hear anything more?"

"He heard what sounded like someone being hit while being ordered to apologize. He also said that he was able to see Face bent over a desk with Mr. Denton standing over him with a rod in his hand ready to strike."

"That explains it…I bet that man was beating our kid until he got a chance to fight back and attacked him instead. He must have been hurt during the attack. No wonder Face bolted."

Face had no trouble in setting up a concealed hiding place. He used a deadfall with loose leaves and branches to make a safe hiding place where he placed his sleeping bag within. He fed the puppies and himself and then set about getting ready to sleep. He was planning on improving his shelter tomorrow to be sure that he wouldn't be found until his family had returned.

As soon as the sun rose in the morning, Face was hard at work…he was making an underground shelter, much like the ones the Viet Cong had used, and when he was finished, it would have taken an expert like a Viet Nam vet to find the entrance. He knew his team could, but not the local law enforcement officers.

In the early hours of the next day, around five, the familiar black van belonging to the A-Team pulled into the On the Jazz compound, and three road-weary men stumbled out. They had driven around the clock, each man taking a shift until they had completed the trip back home. They had only stopped for the occasional refueling and pit stops.

"Hannibal, you are here," greeted Mrs. B as they entered the house. "I have coffee, pancakes, and bacon ready for you all. All we need is Face, and the family will be complete."

"Oh, yeah," Hannibal remarked before turning to Murdoch and saying.

"Captain, go and get our kid!"

"Sure thing, Colonel," replied Murdoch as he headed for the woods across from their compound.

"Where is he going?"

"To the woods across the highway."

"The Sheriff had his deputies search those woods all afternoon with no success. He has got to be gone from this area," declared Mrs. B.

"You forget, Face was in Special Forces and has been trained to evade the enemy. He's nearby, and Murdoch won't have any trouble finding him," Hannibal quickly assured Mrs. B.

In less time than it took for Mrs. B to set the table with platters of food and beverages, Murdoch was back carrying Billie with Face and Charlie following behind…

Mrs. B. rushed to the boy and pulled him into her arms. "Don't you ever do this again, young man. I was worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry Mama, but I was scared and Hannibal wasn't here. I was afraid that I would be arrested!" Face replied as he flinched in his mother's tight embrace.

Hannibal noticed at once, "What's wrong, kid?"

Charlie began to whine as he hurried to Face's side when the boy faltered and nearly dropped. BA caught him before he hit the floor. "Didn't Timmy say that he heard Face being beaten?"

Hannibal gently pulled the boy's shirt up in the back to see angry red welts, some obviously infected. Then Mrs. B took over. "Take him to his bed, these need to be cleaned."

Thinking quickly Hannibal grabbed a camera and took pictures of Face's injuries, to be used as evidence. Then Face was carried to his room where his injuries were cleaned. Soon he was resting on his stomach with Charlie nearby.

"If that teacher beat him this severely, then Facey's attack was legit, he was fighting back in the manner he was taught. Anyone who says differently is lying!" Murdoch was adamant about that.