LITTLE BOY LOST
by
Phoenix
Chapter 23
The Chapters
Laura was out of bed the moment she heard the wailing of sirens. It took her only a moment to realize it was a fire truck and even less time to know what it meant. Nestor had come for Joe.
“No,” she whispered as she grabbed her housecoat and hastily tied it around her waist as she flung open the door –
And came face to face with the business end of a revolver.
Nestor was here.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
“Shit,” Fenton cursed as he hurried back inside and locked the door. He might have just given the madman an opening. Fuming at himself, the detective quickly turned the alarm back on and then hurried towards the kitchen. It had a door leading into the back garden and was the other most obvious other entry point.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Canting his head, Watersmith briefly put a finger to his lips and then beckoned Laura into the hallway. Where’s Fenton? Her mind screamed as worry slammed somewhere between reason and fear. How had Nestor gotten past him? The man reached out and with cold fingers, grasped her by the arm and pulled her towards the two doors further down. Oh God, the boys!
She wanted to yell out a warning but knew he’d kill her in a heartbeat; after all that was what he’d traumatized into Joe, and the little tiny piece of rationality left told her she’d be no good to her sons, dead. So she played along for now and prayed for divine intervention, Fenton, or an opening even as she wondered how the hell he’d gotten in.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Joe smelled the smoke before he heard the sirens. His eyes wide, he sat up and then practically flung himself at his brother. “He’s here,” his whisper was harsh and frantic, “Daddy’s here!”
…
Frank mumbled something under his breath about catfish and then bolted up as Joe’s words sunk in. He paled. No, this was too soon – Frank wasn’t ready yet. Sure he had Dad’s plan, but…
“C’mon, Frank,” Joe was halfway out of the bed now, tugging hard on Frank’s arm, almost dislodging the older boy from the bed. “He’s here!”
“Hey,” Frank grumbled as he hurriedly detangled himself from his brother’s grip and stood up. The cold floor made his toes curl in discomfort. He started to turn on the light but Joe batted his arm away.
“NO!” the blond boy shook his head, his every movement frantic and too fast. “He’ll see! He’ll see!”
Fear thrilled through Frank as sirens and flashing nights filled the dark bedroom – Joe was right. Nestor was here!
“Joey!” Frank barked harshly and grabbed his terrified sibling. “The tree!” Barely giving Joe a chance to acquiesce, the older boy was shoving him forward. “Get in the tree.”
“What?” The disbelief on Joe’s face as he glanced back at Frank might have been comical under other circumstances but then the blond boy braced his bare feet against the floor and refused to budge, bringing them both to an abrupt halt. He pushed hard against the window sill. “I can’t climb the tree!”
Ignoring the protest, Frank unlocked the window and flung it open. Immediately the house alarm went off. “Out, Joe. NOW!”
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Fenton took the stairs, two at a time.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
As the alarm wailed, Nestor pushed Laura into Frank’s room, the gun pressed hard into the small of her back.
Her heart pounded as she saw Joe disappear out the window with Frank right behind him –
“NO!” she screamed and tried to stop Watersmith as he lunged past her and grabbed Frank’s ankle, yanking the boy back into the room and dropping him on the floor –
And then the gun was pressed against the struggling boy’s forehead and everything else stopped.
…
Joe had never been so terrified in his life. Not bad enough Daddy was here to hurt his real family but now he was balanced precariously in the limbs of an old tree. A tree Joe hadn’t climbed in over two years.
He thought Frank was behind him but when he dared a glance back, he almost fell out of the tree.
“No,” he whimpered as he saw an enraged Daddy looking down at something at his feet and then Daddy looked up, caught Joe’s eyes and smiled.
“Jason,” the man’s voice shivered through the little boy’s soul. “It’s time for you to come home.”
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Fenton flattened himself against the wall outside Frank’s room; his wife’s scream a frightening echo in the back of his mind. One quick glance into the room made his stomach churn.
Laura, her back to him, was standing stock still in the middle of the room. Frank was on the floor, his back pressed against the wall under the window, Nestor’s back blocked Fenton’s view of the boy’s face but the madman’s posture left no doubts that he was holding a gun on Fenton’s son. He didn’t see Joe.
Damn. Damn. Damn.
The open window above Frank allowed Fenton a moment of hope that Joe, at least, was safe, but also frustrated that he couldn’t take a clear shot of Nestor as Laura unintentionally blocked the way.
And then he heard Nestor talk –
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Jason,” Nestor growled loudly to be heard as he adjusted his grip on the gun. Frank swallowed hard, pure fear filling his veins. He didn’t want to die. “You know much I hate repeating myself.” Wide-eyed, the boy watched the man’s finger tighten fractionally on the trigger and then he heard his brother’s voice,
“I – I’m coming.”
And thought he had been scared before.
…
Laura felt helpless. Even with Nestor’s back to her, the gun pressing an indent into her son’s forehead kept her from doing anything to him.
But as Joe started to climb back into the room, Laura knew she had to do something and then she was grabbed –
A hand over her mouth and strong arms around her waist pulled her out of the room and into the safety of the hallway.
Fenton.
The man quieted her and gestured towards the stairs where she could now hear someone pounding at the front door. The police. Nodding her understanding, Laura gave Fenton a quick hug and disappeared downstairs, trusting him to get her babies back.
The front door splintered open before she got there.
ooooooOOOOOOoooooo
Joe’s whole body trembled as he carefully climbed back into the room.
Nestor grabbed Frank by the front of his pajamas and hauled the boy to his feet as he let Joe drop to the floor. The child turned to face his abductor and tears trickled down his cheeks. “P-please, Daddy, let him go….”
The madman gave Frank a little shake. “You insolent pup,” he yelled at Joe, “What did I tell you I’d do if they ever got you back? What?!”
Joe flinched. “Please…” he pleaded again. “Let him go.” He forced himself to look Nestor’s eyes. “I’ll go with you.”
…
Something feral ripped through Frank. This was NOT happening.
“No!” he yelled and then clamped down hard on the fist holding his shirt, with his teeth.
Nestor howled and slammed him roughly against the wall –
…
Fenton launched himself at Nestor. He pulled the man away from the boys as he wrestled for control of the gun.
“Boys – outta…here,” he gasped out as he slammed the madman against the wall. Frank scrambled out of the way. Fenton couldn’t see Joe and hoped the kid was already out.
Nestor lost his grip on the gun as the two men grappled and it fell to the floor. Fenton kicked it with his foot and sent it sliding towards the bed –
It was stopped by a bare foot.
…
Joe reached down and picked up the revolver.
It was heavier than it looked.
Straightening up, the child held the weapon between his two hands –
His hands shook. His whole body shook.
“I’m not going back,” he whispered. A hot tear scorched his cheek. And then he was yelling. “Do you hear me, Daddy? I’m. Not. Going. Back!”
And he fired.
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.