Next? I'm an insatiable reader. Once I start reading, I can't put the book down until I'm finished. Sometimes I read 3 at a time. I'm hooked now, and this is frustrating.
Chapter from my novel
by Abandoned 23 Replies latest social entertainment
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Abandoned
Next? I'm an insatiable reader. Once I start reading, I can't put the book down until I'm finished. Sometimes I read 3 at a time. I'm hooked now, and this is frustrating.
You have a PM.
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Abandoned
OK, here's the first part of Chapter 2
Chapter 2 – Everybody Hurts
The pervasive darkness of the cabin is threatened by the illumination of the cell phone’s buttons as a finger traces out the telephone number. The number is stored in the phone’s memory, but the stranger finds it cathartic to dial it himself, like a religious rite. He raises the phone to his ear and waits for an answer. Ring, ring, ring, finally, on the fourth ring, always on the fourth ring, the call is answered and he hears the voice, the sexless voice that directs and controls him, the sexless, hypnotic voice that he both hates and craves. “Are you itinerant?”
“Peripatetic.” The stranger says, pronouncing the word correctly. The stranger always looks up the current word to verify its pronunciation before making the call. The scar on his chest that he received after their first conversation’s faux pas is still tender, even after three weeks, and more than anything else, the stranger is a fast learner. Still, the stranger finds their conversations unnerving, not because of the voice’s insistence on perfect pronunciation, not because he has never seen the person behind the voice, not even because he has no idea if the person behind the voice is male or female, no, the stranger finds the conversations unnerving because the voice always speaks in three word phrases, melodic, rhythmic, as if singing a stanza of a song.
“Is it completed?”
“Almost. I have the boy, but I haven’t done…”
“It’s not completed?” The voice queries.
“Not yet, I was going to, but then I thought I should, err, I mean, I just felt I should check with…”
“It’s the plan.”
“I know, but…look, I want her to pay as much as anyone, but, the boy? It seems like overkill.”
“Do it, NOW!”
“Yes, yes, of course, but after I received the details, I just wanted to, you know, verify that the plan is…”
“It’s been verified.”
“So the plan stands, it stands as it was, no changes?”
“Follow the plan.”
Gulp. “OK, I’ll get right to it. I just wish there was some other way.”
“No more delays!” The voice says just before terminating the call.
The stranger places the cell phone in his pocket and sits in the darkness of the windowless cabin for a few minutes, the final words of the voice echoing in his mind. I knew I shouldn’t have called. Now I'm going to get another drugged up visitor with a knife or even worse. Fucking prick! I don’t even give a shit what happens to that little Wilkins bastard, I just don’t want to end up in the chair for this. -
JK666
Abandoned,
Keep up the good work! You have got me motivated to continue mine. Although I have a lot of it on a defective hard drive that I will try to get to run long enough to copy it to a pin drive. I backed it up on a external drive and then accidentally formatted it OUCH!
JK
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Abandoned
Abandoned,
Keep up the good work! You have got me motivated to continue mine. Although I have a lot of it on a defective hard drive that I will try to get to run long enough to copy it to a pin drive. I backed it up on a external drive and then accidentally formatted it OUCH!
JK
Good luck. What software are you using to extract the data or are you just going to try and boot the drive?
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Abandoned
bttt
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XOCO
Bravothis is really superb i think one day this story might be turned into a moviekeep up the good work my love
teddy bear hug
((((Abandoned)))))
XOCO
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Abandoned
Bravothis is really superb i think one day this story might be turned into a moviekeep up the good work my love
teddy bear hug
((((Abandoned)))))
XOCO
Awwwwww, thank you very much. You are too sweet.
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Abandoned
More of Chapter 2 - Everybody Hurts:
Jenna sprints up the circular staircase and into her husbands study. She places Jimmy down on the leather loveseat and dials 911.
“911 operator, is this an emergency?”
“Oh God yes, this is an emergency. A man just kidnapped my son,”
“Is the man still in your house?”
“No. The man was never in my house, he kidnapped Johnny from the front lawn.”
“So the man is no longer there?”
“No.”
“Are you at 4568 Jasmine Drive?”
“Yes.”
“I will send the police right out. Would you like me to remain on the line with you?”
“No, I need to use the phone. Please hurry though, please hurry.” Jenna hangs up the phone and dials her husband’s office.
“Thank you for calling Brentwood Insurance, how may I help you?”
“Hello Marci, this is Jenna. I need to speak with my husband immediately. It’s an emergency.”
“Oh he just left. I’m going to put you on hold and see if I can catch him.”
Jenna listens to the Beach Boys urging her to ‘take it easy’ on the oldies station over the phone’s receiver. What is taking her so long? I told her it’s an emergency. Finally, after a couple, three minutes, Marci’s voice comes back through the receiver. “I’m sorry Mrs. Wilkins, he has already left. Would you like me to put you through to his voicemail? I am sure he will check it when he gets to New York.”
“New York?!?”
“I take it he didn’t get through to you this morning then.” Awkward pause. “Mr. Brinson asked him to attend a sales conference in New York. It is only one day, so he should be home sometime tomorrow evening.”
“Tomorrow evening? Does he have the company cell?”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Wilkins. I handed it to him, but you know how he is about cell phones. I really tried.”
“I’m sure you did, Marci.” The tone of Jenna’s voice belies her insincerity. “Just put me through to his voice mail.” Jenna waits for Jim’s message and the ubiquitous beep. “Jim, I can’t believe you went to New York without informing me first. There’s an emergency. It’s Johnny. Call as soon as you get this.” She hangs up the phone.Detective Bryer sits with his feet on his desk, enjoying the first break he’s had time for during the six or so hours that have passed on his shift. In his right hand is a cup of java; a jelly roll, compliments of Lieutenant Jenson, is in his left. His eyes look tired, but this rare break has brought a small satisfied grin to his lips.
It has been a tough couple of weeks, he thinks to himself as he enjoys the cherry filled pastry. I am glad that Stenrud case is over. I wish we would’ve gotten a confession, but a dead perp is almost as good. Detective Dan Bryer has been in homicide for the past seven years. He is just two short of retiring. He finishes up the jelly roll and sets his cup of java on the floor next to his desk as he crosses his hands behind his neck and lays back in his reclining detective’s chair.
RIIIIINNNG
Not even ten minutes, he thinks to himself as he sits up in his chair and reaches for the phone. One of these days I am going to get a full fifteen minute break. “Precinct 10, Detective Bryer speaking. Whatta you need?” Christ! Maybe somebody’s kitty needs rescuing.
“Dan, err, I mean, Detective Bryer, this is Sammy over at the center.” The voice sounds stressed.
Detective Bryer pulls himself up to the desk and rests his elbows on it. “Hi Sammy, I take it this ain’t no pleasure call.”
“No, I wish it were,” Sammy responds, the stress replaced with a flirty lilt, which turns somber as she continues. “I just took a call from a hysterical mother. She says she thinks a man just grabbed her son and drove away. I tried P1 and P2, but both are busy on calls. Could you drive over and check this out?”
Detective Bryer raises himself half out of his chair. “She thinks? Look, Sammy, if this is another wild goose chase, searching and searching for some runaway who shows back up at the house the next day, I am going to…I don’t know what I am going to do.”
“She sounds sincere.”
“Yeah, they all do.” Detective Bryer sighs and then pauses. “OK, what is the address? Where has Templeton’s first child abduction taken place?”
“4568 Jasmine.”
Detective Bryer interrupts, “Jasmine? Oh, yeah, it’s an abduction all right. Junior didn’t get his imported bran muffin for breakfast on time and he abducted himself to piss off his parents.”
“Look, she is very emotional right now. Promise me you’ll check this out right away.”
“I’ll check it out.” Dan replies, realizing how angry he sounds. “I will, I’ll head out right now. I’ll get right on it.” Dan adds, calmer. He then adds playfully, “You stay foxy now.” Man she sure has lost her confidence in me. I remember when I could do no wrong.
“And how would you know if I did? You haven’t been over in nearly a week.”
“Look, Sammy, I told you I was on a hard case. I don’t need this right now. I’ve gotta get over and baby-sit on Jasmine.” He sets the phone down firmly. I shouldn’t have slammed the phone like that, but dammit, Sammy just doesn’t understand how hard I work. I’d give her more time if I had it. Deep inside, Dan knew that wasn’t the truth.
Detective Bryer fastens his utility belt and walks down to the garage where the patrol cars are parked, checks out one from the dispatcher, and turns left out of the garage on his way to Jasmine Street.
Jasmine Street is part of a housing development put up four years ago when Templeton’s population had begun to skyrocket. The development provides housing for about 100 families and consists of ten highly manicured streets ending in cul-de-sacs on one end and emptying onto Hyacinth Way on the other.
Detective Bryer turns on his sirens and makes a left onto Main Street. The residents in the street stare as he speeds by. Templeton had always been a serene place to live, to raise your kids in, to grow old in, but after what happened with Walter Stensrud, the sound of a siren made the residents edgy. It could just be a fender bender out on route 83 or maybe someone needing CPR, but after what Walter did to those prostitutes, a siren could mean that once again their idyllic world was going to be invaded by hysteria and the media and, especially, the hysteria of the media.
I really need to find some time for Sammy when this is all over. She really has been very patient. I told her that being involved with a detective wouldn’t be easy. Distracted by his thoughts, Detective Bryer barely even notices the beige Chevy station wagon running the light at Hyacinth and speeding off down Main Street towards route 83. Detective Bryer wasn’t one for dealing with traffic infractions, anyway. Since joining homicide, he concentrates his time on investigations and paperwork; mostly paperwork. He might have paid more attention this time, however, if Jimmy would have been able to tell his mother the color of the car before she called 911.
Pulling up in front of the white victorian with blue shutters, 4638 stenciled to the right of the front door, Detective Bryer announces his location to the dispatcher and grabbing his journal, exits the car. The urgency in Sammy’s voice back at the station was electric, but maybe there was some mistake. The street is so calm and tranquil. Surely an abduction could not have just taken place in a place so peaceful. He walks up to the door with a leisurely gait and pushes the doorbell.
“Wh..who is it? Is it the police?”
“Yes maam, Detective Bryer from Templeton PD, homicide division here.”
“HOMICIDE? Is Johnny dead?”
Fuck! “No maam, I’m just here to investigate your 911 complaint.”
“But you said homicide, you SAID homicide.”
Double fuck! How can she be such an idiot? “Look maam, I’m just here cuz the other patrols were busy. Forget that I’m from homicide. The sooner I can get your statement the sooner I can get investigating.”
Jenna Wilkins looks through the peep hole and then opens the door. “Come in officer; please help me get Johnny back.”
It’s detective, oh never mind. “We’ll do whatever’s warranted, but first tell me what happened.”
Jenna Wilkins recounts all she knows about the abduction to Detective Bryer.
“So the only two people to see the man were your two children?”
“Yes, I think so; there are not many people at home here during the day.”
“None of your neighbors are home?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You don’t think so? Don’t you know for sure? Didn’t you call them?”
“We don’t have a very good relationship with most of our neighbors.”
Detective Bryer opens his eyes wide and shakes his journal in front of him. “But surely they’d want to help out if one of your sons was abducted.”
“If? If one of my son’s were abducted? There’s no if, Johnny was taken and here you sit wasting time asking me about my neighbors…”
“Standard questions maam. Was anyone else at home when the alleged abduction took place?”
“Just my other son, Jimmy, I already told you that.”
“And your husband? You do have a husband don’t you?”
“Yes I have a husband. He’s at a sales conference in New York. I have been calling him all afternoon, but I have not gotten through.”
“OK, so let me get this straight. Your two kids were playing in the street without supervision, when a man, who you have no description for, took one of your sons and nobody, accept your two kids seen anything. Is that right?”
“Look, my son is gone. My other son saw the man. He also saw the car. I tried to get a description from him, but…”
“But what maam?”
“Please help me. Maybe you can help him. Aren’t you guys trained in getting descriptions from witnesses? Please, I am sure he can give you a description.”
“Your son who, ah, disappeared, Johnny was it? Did he have a good relationship with you? Did you two have a fight recently?”
“Yes! No! I mean, we were –are- fine. He didn’t run away. Is that what you think? Whoever took my son is getting away and you sit here, wasting time, accusing me of chasing him away.”
“Well, maam, kids run away sometimes. I see it all the time. Templeton has its problems, but child abductions aren’t one of them. If your son hasn’t returned by tomorrow, drop by the station and I will have one of our investigators interview your other son. OK?”
“NO, it is not OK! Look, what if I say I saw the man and the car drive away?”
“So you are telling me NOW that you saw the alleged abduction? Can you give me a description of the car? Can you give me a description of the man?”
“Well, no, my son saw them better than I did. He can give a better description than I can. Please. Interview him. See what he knows.”
“Maam, if your son hasn’t shown up by tomorrow, drop by the station. Have a good day, and you should get some rest. You look a bit frazzled.” Detective Bryer turns toward the door, exits, and walks down the sidewalk to his cruiser. Boy, these people really burn me up. They get their kids so mad that they leave home, and then they expect us to go chasing all over creation looking for them. -
Abandoned
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