SERENITY: A Path Home (Beauty 0f Life Book 6)

by Laura Acton

  “Who was kidnapped?”

  “Justin, Grant, Brandon, and Bryce Kettle. I had homes lined up for them for Christmas, but they abducted them.”

  “Do you know who took them?”

  Ms. Crudele’s face flushed as she angrily bit out, “Yes! Bad seeds the lot of them. Not even sure if the younger ones are salvageable.”

  Dan glanced at Lexa with a questioning expression when she stopped beside him. Even with as clueless as he could be, this woman seemed to be exuding marked animosity. He would check later with Lexa to see if he read the woman correctly.

  Nick noted the heightened anger. “Can you tell me their names?”

  Clutching at her heart, getting over excited again, she spat out, “Alban, Craig, Gavin, Todd, Macon, Stuart, Kaison, and Ross. Never have I ever dealt with such an unruly and disrespectful youths—always fighting with the other kids. I should’ve never taken in those twelve boys. They should have been immediately broken up and placed in separate homes. Only the youngest behaved even remotely appropriate.”

  Nick thought hard and then clarified, “Are you saying that boys living here took the four boys who are missing?”

  “Yes. They’re step-brothers. Alban is seventeen and the one who threatened me. Craig is sixteen, and he tied me up. Then there is Gavin who is fifteen. He seized Grant who was sobbing—the little boy was scared to death to go with him and fought to get away. Todd is fourteen, and he grabbed Justin and dragged him out. Macon is thirteen, and he snatched one of the little twins Bryce. Stuart is twelve, and he took the other twin, Brandon. Ross is ten, and he yelled obscenities at me the entire time as eleven-year-old Kaison laughed. Every last one of them is a delinquent, insolent, and disruptive ruffian!”

  Nick glanced at his team. “Disperse and interview the others. We need to understand what is going on here.”

  “I told you what is going on here! I won’t allow any further traumatization to the other children. You can’t speak to them.” Ms. Crudele’s narrow, pinched face became beet red with anger. Her version needed to remain the only one.

  “Please calm yourself, ma’am. My team is well versed in situations like this. The children will be fine. Now, you said they are all related. Can you tell me their last name?”

  “Tabor-Kettle or Kettle-Tabor, I don’t recall, but they go by Kettle.”

  Nick gave the nod to his team, and they dispersed to talk to the others as Nick said, “Shall we go to your office, I’d like to take a look at the files on these boys.”

  “Why?” Crudele became worried.

  “We need all the details we can gather to locate the missing children.” He motioned with his hand for the woman to lead the way and she rose reluctantly. As they started out of the common room, Nick asked, “You said they are brothers, correct?”

  “No, they’re not all of the same blood. Every other one is a step-brother down to the last two.” Her face twisted as if she sucked on a lemon.

  Nick picked up the obvious signs of dislike, but not knowing anything about the youths in question yet, he couldn’t surmise whether the action was justified. It concerned him that older boys apparently abducted unwilling younger ones—at gunpoint. Though, he suspected there might be more than meets the eye. “Would you please clarify that?”

  In an exacerbated tone, Crudele stated, “Alban, Gavin, Macon, Kaison, and Justin were the progeny of Neil and Mary Tabor. Craig, Todd, Stuart, Ross, and Grant are the offspring of Gordon Kettle and his wife, Alyssa. After Neil Tabor and Alyssa Kettle died, Mary married Captain Kettle. The two youngest, twins Brandon and Bryce are a product of their marriage. So you see they are all step-brothers. They don’t share a blood relationship.”

  “How long have these boys been in your care?”

  As she opened her office door, Crudele’s mind spun, happy she had made a note of every incident with the upstart Alban Kettle. That smart-ass boy would learn his lesson—going to jail would be best for him. She sighed heavily. “Four extremely long, difficult months. We were the only facility which had twelve open beds.”

  Nick continued to interview the director. As he did so, his suspicion regarding this woman increased. The more she talked, the more she revealed her cold and insensitive attitude and her antiquated ideas of what constituted a family. Nick found it daunting to listen without reacting to her belief the boys should be split up based on their parentage.

  A picture of what happened began to form in his head, despite the documentation the center’s director showed him regarding the disorderly behavior and ruckuses attributed to the Tabor-Kettle brothers. Though, he needed the team to conduct their interviews before he took action. If he gambled, he would say the odds favored that any evidence found would corroborate his intuition.

  Outside Larkin Children’s Home – 11:25 a.m.

  Thirty minutes later, the team assembled near the truck to share details. Lexa started. “Spoke with two of the caseworkers. They aren’t too keen on Ms. Crudele and believe she doesn’t have the children’s best interests at heart. All the kids, not just the Kettles. She prefers to break up families believing they adapt better to new surroundings if they severe all of their ties to their past.”

  Bram shook his head holding back a disgusted expression. “I found much the same when I talked to a few of the older kids.”

  “What of Ms. Crudele’s claim the boys are delinquents?” Nick asked.

  Dan shared, “The night social workers, Tim and Marybeth, reported precisely the opposite. Yes, the Kettle brothers frequently fought with the other older boys in the home, but only to protect their younger siblings.

  “Marybeth told me that while she and Tim were occupied getting their remaining rambunctious charges settled down and into bed, they never worried about those twelve boys. Alban and Craig maintained an orderly nightly ritual. Each evening they all showered, brushed their teeth, set out clothes, and prepared their backpacks for the next day’s use. And lastly, to ensure that all would be tucked in and ready for lights out, one boy was chosen to read a bedtime story to the others.”

  Dan took a breath. Their regimented behavior was all too familiar to him. He lived something similar from the time he was five until he moved in with Bella, minus having anyone his age around.

  He continued his report out, “According to Tim, those boys are still grieving the loss of their father. They lost their mother Mary, three years ago. Tim said he was impressed with how older ones cared for and consoled their brothers. He also indicated that Alban shared with him it is something they’ve been doing since their mother passed away.”

  Nick removed his hat. The conflicting reports left him with an unsettled feeling—more is going on here than meets the eye. He rubbed his face. “These boys have experienced so much loss … two mothers, two fathers, and a guardian. That must be hard. Their actions may stem from a need not to lose anymore. This could turn into an exceptionally volatile situation.”

  Ray nodded. “Agreed. I spoke with some of the teenage boys. One said that one of the boys displayed a gun. This could become ugly if Alban snapped.”

  Lexa shook her head. “Something doesn’t add up. I also spoke with another of the older boys. Crudele indicated the young ones had been forced to leave. The boy was adamant that the bond shared by ones called Gavin and Grant were as tight as can be. He used the word inseparable to describe them. So Crudele’s claim that Grant fought Gavin doesn’t fit.”

  Loki popped out of the van. “I looked into the records of the home. The four boys, Justin, Grant, Brandon, and Bryce, are scheduled to be handed over to four different foster homes at nine this morning.”

  Anger wafting off him, Dan growled, “Who does that before Christmas?”

  They all felt Dan’s outrage, but Jon said, “Dan, relax.”

  Dan nodded and blew out a breath. This situation hit him hard. Ripping a family apart after losing so many loved ones was cruel.

  Loki added, “Here’s the kicker, each foster home receives an extra stipend for ta
king the kids now—the money is supposed to be used to provide gifts for the child. It appears nepotism directed all four placements. Each family is related to Crudele. They’re her four sisters.”

  Jon turned to Nick. His gut had been churning ever since they arrived. “I’m not so sure I believe her abduction story. Yes, they left, but the rest is suspect. And where in the world would they obtain a handgun?”

  Loki offered, “Their father was a Captain in the Air Force. Perhaps they retained some of his possessions? Perhaps the gun is the captain’s.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t have a gun at all. Crudele made it up.” Dan countered.

  “Remember, I spoke to one who corroborated the presence of a firearm.”

  Dan shook his head. “Could be ill will. Someone who was upset with Alban. Perhaps one who picked on one of the little brothers like Marybeth indicated.”

  Nick rubbed his face again as the team went back and forth discussing the merits of whether a weapon was in play or not. He wanted to believe this was a case of runaways and an overzealous or corrupt care worker, but he couldn’t. There was enough doubt that Nick’s course of action was clear.

  He ended their discussion, aware the team would not like his decision. “We must follow protocol, no choice in this matter. We treat this as an armed abduction, and locate the missing boys.” Forestalling any debate, Nick added. “But … we dig on the other front too!

  “Loki, research their histories. Ray, interview the staff again, focus on potential misconduct by Crudele. Jon, talk with teenagers, get their take on how this place operates—teens are more perceptive than many adults realize. Bram, you concentrate on the younger kids. We need to understand where the lads might go if they shared any information at all with them about what they like or special places.

  “Dan, contact the military and find out what you can about the family since the father was in the Air Force. Perhaps, someone, might shed some light and give us a starting location. Lexa, I would like you to engage with Ms. Crudele. I want you to be sympathetic to her and try to draw her out. I’ll be listening and feed you some questions to ask her.”

  “Why me?” Lexa didn’t comprehend why the boss wanted her to talk to the director.

  “Intuition says she has issues with men in general and will be more responsive to another female,” Nick explained.

  “Copy,” each responded dispersing to their assigned tasks.

  Connections and Solutions

  50

  December 23

  Green Acres Cemetery – Near Graves – 11:45 a.m.

  Twelve boys stood in a semi-circle around four graves. Eleven had tears of fear and loss in their eyes, one pair of eyes reflected only anger. Their moms and dads were all buried next to each other. Alban touched the headstone of his mother, as he glanced at the newly-placed marker of his embraced dad. He came here seeking answers and inspiration as he had done many times.

  He couldn’t let anyone split-up his brothers. God made them a family for a reason. His mom, met Gordon at this cemetery when each visited their first spouses. Their common loss formed the initial connection, but Alban knew it was more than that. Mom share with him she believed God guided both of them to the cemetery that day. Their love-filled marriage and home forged strong bonds between him and his siblings.

  Alban would do anything for his family. Unfortunately, even something he would regret doing. He told Ms. Crudele, he had a gun, and he would shoot her if she didn’t allow them to stay together for at least Christmas. Everything went downhill after that, and they had to leave. He didn’t know where to go or what to do. They had no money and no place to live.

  Gazing at his mother’s grave the tears started to fall. He missed his loving and self-sacrificing mother—she gave her life to save his. She jumped in front of him, placing herself in harm’s way when a drug-crazed man entered their home looking for money. Alban held her as she died on the kitchen floor. He could only watch, helpless, only able to provide a small comfort as her life drained out with each precious drop of her blood. In her last moments, Alban made a vow, one he meant to keep no matter the cost. He only needed divine guidance from his parents.

  Craig understood his brother’s pain. He placed his hand on Alban’s back offering comfort. “We’ll figure this out together. You’re not alone in this.”

  Alban wiped at his eyes. “The police are most likely searching for us. I don’t know what to do when they show up. I did threaten to shoot her.”

  Drawing in a breath, Craig shook his head. “But the threat was about as real as the gun, that witch is blind as a bat if she thought Justin’s orange water pistol was real.”

  Gavin held Grant next to him, keeping him warmer in the cold winter weather. “We must find a warm, dry shelter for the younger ones.”

  Todd rubbed his hand together briskly. “I think I know a place which should fit our needs for a while. The music store Mom said Neil used to always go to. She took me there often before she died. She would stand in the drum section wistfully staring at the picture of Neil which hung on the wall.”

  Alban nodded. “I remember the store. Pretty far from here, but sounds like a decent place to go for now.” He considered how he would transport all his brothers. Deep in thought, he was startled, along with the other ten when a high-pitched wail erupted from Ross. He sounded like a wounded animal.

  Ross collapsed onto his dad’s grave as his pent-up pain finally found an outlet. His fingernails dug into the brown and dormant grass as he howled out his grief. “Daddy don’t leave me! Daddy … Daddy …”

  Kaison and Stuart both wrapped their arms around Ross hugging him tightly as they started to bawl for their dad too.

  Alban watched Ross sob through blurry eyes. Agony and relief washed through him in equal measure. Ross had bottled up all his hurt refusing to cry until now—with this emotional release Ross may begin to heal.

  Larkin Children’s Home – Command Truck – 11:50 a.m.

  “Yes, sir, I’ll wait,” Dan said as he raked his hand through his hair and leaned on the wall inside the truck. His gaze turned to Loki as his other hand continued to hold his cell phone to his ear. “Captain Kettle’s personnel file is being emailed now. I’m on hold again as they try to locate his former CO.”

  Loki nodded. Dan had been working through all the military red tape to get the file released to them. Apparently, with the ongoing investigation into his and Captain Bunge’s death, everyone was tight-lipped. Loki saw Dan’s frustration level increasing, but remained silent on the fact, obtaining information at the speed they wanted often proved difficult.

  Dan’s attention returned to his call. “Can you provide me a personal number for Major Cole?” He frowned when they were unwilling to release the information to him. “The lives of twelve children are in the balance. I must speak with him, pronto.” Dan provided his phone number, then he said, “Have Cole contact me as soon as he lands. Thank you, sir.” He hung up and blew out a breath. “No go on the major for several hours, he’s on a flight to Regina.”

  “Don’t be hard on yourself. You got Kettle’s file sent which is more than we had before and might help,” Loki said as his email pinged. He opened the attached file and started scanning for information.

  Dan paced two steps one way and two the other in the confined space. He wanted to do more. Gaining no further information from the other children or staff, Jon, Bram, and Ray left a few minutes ago to check out the family’s former home. It was possible they went someplace familiar, or perhaps the team would uncover something in the house which would provide additional clues.

  He tuned in to Lexa’s conversation with Crudele, and the coaching Boss gave her to guide the interview. Boss appeared to be right, the woman did respond to Lexa better, but her story never changed insisting Alban Kettle was a menace and dangerously unstable. It didn’t jibe with what he learned from Tim and Marybeth.

  When the boss issued the alert for the missing children, Dan was glad he ordered no one was
to approach the siblings except TRF. He would hate for a trigger-happy patrolman to make a difficult situation worse. After last night’s traffic stop, his faith in patrol officers had been shaken again.

  Old memories of his time in the fourteenth division were dredged up. Gould was the first officer Dan encountered from back then, and he was now aware old animosities still existed. It seemed he had enemies in both the military and the police force—but he had friends too. Dan chose to focus on that aspect pushing the negative out of his life and concentrating on the positive.

  Loki read through essential details then reported to the team. “The captain was a flight instructor with the Transport Training Squadron at the Trenton base for the past ten years. Strange his home was in Toronto, that’s quite a daily commute. About two hours each way.”

  Dan interjected, “Not really. Military families often stay in one location to provide a more stable life for their children. All my uncles maintain homes in Ottawa regardless of where they are stationed.”

  Nodding, Loki returned to the file and rattled off various details to them.

  Listening, Dan tried to piece anything together to give them a lead on the boys. When Loki finished, Dan plopped into one of the chairs. Nothing more to go on. He hoped his teammates found something at the Kettle home.

  Rereading the details, Loki had a spark of an idea. He turned to Dan. “Your cousins, Adam and Zach are in the Air Force and pilots. Do you think they would be familiar with Captain Kettle?”

  Dan shrugged. “If I recall correctly, Adam was stationed at Trenton for a time. Zach did some of his flight training there, but the likelihood is slim.”

  Loki eyed Dan. “Even if they weren’t acquainted with him they might be on familiar terms with someone who is. Wouldn’t hurt to call them since we have to wait for the major anyway.”