Show of hands, how many people were expecting that last chapter? Yeah, that's what I thought. Me and my best friend are masterminds. MWAHAHAHAHA!
Anyway…
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Chapter 8: Why?
"Did y'all have good last day of school?", Mr. Egbert said as he picked the kids up from school. "Good.", John and Jade replied as they climbed in the back of Mr. Egbert's SUV. Mr. Egbert noticed someone missing. "John, where's Dave?" "He got checked out." Mr. Egbert raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "By who?" "I don't know. Bro probably."
The news was very unsettling to Mr. Egbert. Dirk hadn't said anything about checking Dave out of school today. As Mr. Egbert was the main person to pick the kids from school and Dirk normally told him if he going to be picking Dave up early.
Mr. Egbert knew the situation going on with their father. He thought the man's behavior was very strange and Mr. Egbert told Dirk that if he saw the man anywhere near their house, that he would call the police.
'Surely he wouldn't...no. No, no he couldn't, no wouldn't have done that. Would he?', Mr. Egbert's thoughts ran. Mr. Egbert tried to hide his fear from the two children in the back. He didn't want to scare them. "I'll call Dirk when we get home. Make sure he's alright.", Mr. Egbert tried to convince himself.
"Hello?", Dirk said answering the phone. "Hello Dirk.", Mr. Egbert said, kinda shaky. "Oh hey, Mr. E. How's everyone?" "Well, that's what I'm calling about. Did you check Dave out of school at around lunchtime?" Dirk felt his heart sink into his stomach. "N-no.", Dirk shakingly said. Mr. Egbert felt that same gut wrenching feeling. "John and Jade said that Dave got checked out today at around lunch. Dirk, you, you don't think that..." Dirk dropped the phone when the cold, painful truth hit him in the face. Nonononono, this couldn't be happening. There had to be some mistake! Derrick couldn't have taken off with him. He couldn't have! 'He did...oh my GOD HE DID!', Dirk felt hot tears stream down his face. "Dirk? Dirk are you still there?" Dirk picked up the phone and held onto it with a shaking hand. "He did it. That bastard took him!", Dirk screamed over the phone. "Dirk, Dirk you need to listen to me. You can't afford to flip outright now. You need to call the police before he gets any farther.", Mr. Egbert tried to talk some sense into the grieving man. How can he not flip out? His baby brother was just kidnapped by their estranged father. They could be anywhere by now! But, Mr. Egbert was right. He couldn't afford to loose anytime by flipping out right now. Derrick could be anywhere with Dave right now. And a moment lost trying to find them is a moment Derrick would gain. He didn't have a moment to loose!
Dirk snapped out of it, "Right, I'm calling them right now!"
Immediately after Dirk hung up from Mr. Egbert, he called the police.
"Okay, Mr. Strider. I need you calm down for a moment. When was the last time you saw your brother and father?", the police officer question Dirk. "Yesterday,", Dirk replied, "I dropped Dave off for school yesterday morning, and I saw our dad last after our confrontation yesterday." "Confrontation?" "Yeah, lately our dad's been acting real strange lately," "Strange as in how?", the police officer asked. "For the past 5 days or so, he's been acting possessive over Dave. Been going just about everywhere he goes. Doesn't want he being around anybody else. And then he's been going off at me for whatever reasons." "So you two have been fighting?" "Yeah" "Has Dave witnessed you two fighting." "I don't think so. I try to keep my distance from Dad when Dave is around so we won't get into it." "So Mr. Strider, when you say that your father has been possessive toward your brother. Have you seen any inappropriate actions that this Derrick fellow has been acting on your brother?" Dirk gave the officer a confused, and terrified, look. "What do you mean Officer?" "Have you seen your father touch your brother inappropriately?"
Dirk's eyes widened in fear. "You, you think that, that man could have been..." "I'm sorry sir, it's a protocol question in cases like this." "I guarantee you Officer, if I saw that man lay so much as a finger on my baby, you would be arresting me for murder right now."
"Now, earlier you said that you and your father had a confrontation yesterday. What was that about?" "Well, like I said his strange behavior, I was trying to talk to him about it. I was going to tell him that if he didn't straighten out, then he was going to have to leave and that I wasn't going to let him see Dave." "And what happened after that?" "He served me with custody papers! He said that Dave needed more stability in his life and that I couldn't provide him with that." "And what happened after that?" "What do you think happened! I cold cocked him in the face with my fist. I told him that if ever came near Dave again that it was gonna be the last thing that he ever did." "And what did Derrick do after that?" Dirk leaned back in his chair a bit. "It was weird. He just picked himself up off the floor and said 'We'll see about that', and then just left."
"And have you and your father made contact since then?", the officer continues to question. "No."
"And where has David been since the confrontation?" "He was staying at his friend's house, John Egbert. John's dad called me when he picked up the kids from school and John told him that Dave had been checked out."
"Mr. Strider, what's your father's vehicle look like?", the officer said, writing everything down. "It's a black Cadillac Escalade, with beige interior and New York license plate."
"Okay, well Mr. Strider. I hate to inform you that this does look like a parental kidnapping. We'll put out an all state bulletin for Derrick Strider and the Escalade. If we see him, the vehicle or David anywhere; or have any information, we will contact you." "Okay, thank you officer."
The officer left and Dirk was left alone to the eery screech of silence. For a moment, he just stood there, until the weight of what all occurred weighed down on him. Dirk Strider sunk to his knees and let out a cry of agony. Dave, his baby brother who he loves more than anything and life itself, was taken from him by that monster. Why, how could he have been so foolish as to let that man into their lives? With tears now pouring down his face, he falls to the ground in anguish and pound his fists on the floor.
"GOD! WHY? WHY DID I LET THIS HAPPEN? WHY DID I LET THAT MAN INTO OUR LIVES! I KNEW SOMETHING WAS WRONG, WHY DIDN'T I ACT SOONER? OH GOD, WHY, HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO FOOLISH?", Dirk cries to the top of his lungs. Dirk promised himself, promised their mother, that he would never let anything happen to Dave for as long as he lived. Dirk felt like he went back on that promise. He was supposed to protect Dave, and he failed.
After what seemed like hours of wallowing in his own sorrow; slowly, Dirk picked himself and made his way into his room. He kneeled down by his desk and opened up a drawer to get the bottle of Vodka he had stashed away along time ago. He hadn't drank in years, since Dave was little. He had told himself that the next time he picks up this bottle he had better have a good reason to. Well if this wasn't a good time as any. He tilted his head back and drank half the remaining bottle in a few swigs.
Dirk pulled out an old photo album and sat in the middle of his bedroom floor as he finished the bottle.
After he had emptied the bottle into his stomach, he picked up the album and walked into Dave's room. It was surprising clean for a 13 year old boy, courtesy of being hounded by their crazy father. But Dirk managed to find a dirt t-shirt hidden under his bed. It was his favorite, his classic red and white long sleeved t-shirt with the broken record on the front. Dirk held the garment close to his chest and broke down all over again. Dirk didn't know what he was more of at this point, angry, sad, or scared. Angry at their father for taking his baby away from him. Sad at the fact that he felt like he let it happen. Or scared at the thought of what that monster was doing to his baby right now. Dirk didn't even think that Derrick was capable of doing such a thing as this. He wanted to trust the man, and look where it got them.
Dirk closed his eyes, and tried to shut the cold, cruel world out. And prayed that no matter where he was, that Dave would be okay.
Hours after his father sped off with him, the very same question that plagued Dirk was still haunting Dave's mind. But in a different sense. 'Why did Bro just sign me over like that? Doesn't he want me anymore? Did I do something wrong? What could I have done to push my Bro over the edge? Why, why?' Dave felt a tear roll down his cheek.
"Are you okay Dave?", Derrick asks with concern in his voice. "Yeah.", Dave lied. "Dave, you must believe me. Your brother done what he done out of love for you. He done what he thought was the best decision for you. He didn't abandon you." "Yeah, well it sure feels like it.", Dave said rolling over in his seat, facing the window. Derrick looked over at a moment to see Dave curled up in his seat. He pressed a button and leaned Dave's sear back.
"Why don't you take a nap, Dave. I'll wake you when we stop."
"You ain't gotta tell me twice.", Dave said closing his eyes.
Derrick looked over at his now sleeping son and smirked. Everything was going perfectly.
Courtesy of one too many episodes of Law & Order: SVU...