Finally I'm updating!
Maxine stood straight up, "Murdered?" She clutched her chest. Her baby boy. Her baby boy! He couldn't be dead.
Oh God, please please don't let Jake be dead, I'm begging! Please, let him be alive!
Mr. Shields nodded grimly. "Yes murdered. We saw his hat after all, with the blood? And we found traces of blood on the road. He's probably dead, or gravely injured." He looked truly sad.
"Ma'am, do you know of anyone that would want your son dead, for any reason whatsoever?"
Maxine started to shake her head, when Luke came in, "Honey, what's wrong?"
Maxine couldn't answer, and turned to her husband, burying her head in his chest and sobbing.
"Sir, what's going on?" He looked hard at the police man, ready to clock him if necessary.
"I have bad news. I just told your wife, but, I think your son may have been murdered."
Luke's heart nearly stopped at that, "Are you sure?"
"Not positive, but nearly all the evidence is pointing towards that. Blood on his hat, blood on the ground." The man sighed, "If he's not dead he's probably badly injured."
Maxine sobbed harder into her husbands chest, clinging to his shirt.
"We need to know if there's anyone that might have foul intentions towards your son, or want him dead?"
Luke sighed, "The only ones I can think of is Curtis Flickinger, or Linc Slocum."
"Your reasons for believing that?" Mr. Shields paused with his pen hovering above the paper.
"Flick has issues with Indians, which my son is half Shoshone Indian, and I would assume the same about Slocum."
The man wrote it all down. "I'm not sure I should tell you this, but Mr. Flickinger has escaped prison. I heard he was after his two boys and his wife."
"Wife?"
"Yes, she left him a long time ago because he was abusive toward her and their boys."
"You are looking for him right?" Luke couldn't believe Flick would be so cruel toward his own flesh and blood.
"Of course we are. We're going to double the search now that we know he's a suspect. As for Mr. Slocum, he's still where he's supposed to be."
With that the man left the two parents crying quietly together over their son.
River Bend
"Wyatt, I'm worried about Sam," Gram looked long and hard at her son.
Wyatt sat down at the table and buried his head in his hands, "I know, I am too, but what am I supposed to do?"
Gram sighed, "I don't know, but I'm afraid she'll try to do something drastic, like take her own life, or start cutting herself."
"What makes you think that?" Wyatt was sitting up straight now, looking directly at his mother.
"Her knife was embedded in the wall of her room. Like she'd been about to cut herself, but then decided not to, and threw it into the wall. I think I'm going to keep it in my sock drawer for now, and hopefully she won't go looking for it."
Wyatt shook his head, moaning, "Are you serious?"
Gram nodded, "And look at her now, she's down by the river, dangling her feet, and probably crying."
Wyatt looked.
"I think the poor girl blames herself for Jake being missing."
Wyatt nodded in agreement. "What was she doing out there anyway?" Why was my only daughter out there where she could get jumped in the first place!
"Probably looking for that Phantom of hers."
"I would be fine if he disappeared off the face of the earth. I can't let him hurt her again."
Gram sighed again, "I know Wyatt, I know. I have clothes that need to get in the washer, maybe go out and talk to Sam?"
The Bad Guy Hideout
Jake was drifting in and out of blackness. When he was out of the darkness he would be praying.
Please God, help my family. Please get me out of here alive. If you get me out safely I will tell Sam my feelings for her. The feelings I've had ever since I can remember.
Dustin and Matt came back in, Matt shook him, and when Jake's eyes opened he whispered, "I left a message with Clara."
Jake nodded his thanks then before he could say anything else, the blackness once more claimed him.
Good, bad in between? Review and let me know! Oh and don't worry the Ely's will take a more direct route to finding Jake eventually.