by Terri Marie
When they finally made it to Tyler’s neighborhood, Sean called Ralph and put it on speaker phone. “We’re just a couple of blocks away from Tyler’s house. Did the disc copy?”
“It’s just now finishing up. So I’ll be at the police station in about twenty minutes, give or take. I know all those guys down at the station. They’ll do the right thing. It’ll be funny though when they find out I was dumpster diving. I’ll probably end up with ten care packages a day on my porch.” Ralph chucked loudly.
“Listen Ralph, you saved us, so we’ll be forever indebted to you and Stella.” Sean cleared his throat.
“Hey, we took a pretty strong liking to Brian and Carrie. We consider them a part of our family now. We don’t have any children, so we feel like we’ve been more than blessed!” He laughed again.
“Well you both can consider yourselves Montclairs. If you ever want to visit, or even come here to live, just let us know and we’ll get you all set up.” Carrie silently wished they would take him up on his offer.
As Sean said goodnight to Ralph, he turned into Tyler’s driveway. The garage door opened, so everyone filed inside and was greeted by Tyler at the door. As soon as he saw Brian’s face, he pulled him into the house and threw his arms around him. Carrie watched as Tyler buried his face in Brian’s neck and wept. Brian began to sob, and Carrie could actually feel the love between those two. Renee was yelling for Brian as she ran down the stairs. Tyler let go of him and Brian looked up at Renee as she stopped in the kitchen. Her feet seemed to be frozen to the floor. She gulped at the air, speechless, as she flung open her arms. Brian raced to her and literally lifted her off the floor.
“I’m keeping you!” She bawled. “I’m keeping you Brian Montclair!”
“I’m keeping you too, Mom. I never want to be away from you guys ever again. I love you.” Brian sat Renee back down on the floor and hugged her to his chest.
Carrie turned back around and saw Tyler holding Sean, thanking him profusely. When he let go of his brother, he walked slowly over to Carrie, held her face in his hands, then wrapped her up in his arms and squeezed her tight. He didn’t say a word to her though; none were needed. The love and gratitude flowed around this house like a mountain stream. It was at this exact moment, when she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this is what she wanted.
CHAPTER 12
THE ONLY TIME Ralph Charles ever came to the Wyatt County Sheriff’s Station was to buy Girl Scout cookies, if it was that time of year, or to turn in a wallet or purse if he happened across one that had been abandoned. But tonight was different, entirely. He was handing something in alright, but holding onto that dripping hamburger meat in the garbage bag, coupled with the images stuck in his head from the disc he’d had to view, made him swallow hard and wipe the sweat from his brow, as he opened the door. He’d had no choice, in order to make sure the copying process worked, but those images of that boy chained to the bathroom floor while being beaten would stay burned in his mind for the rest of his life. Luckily he’d only watched a few minutes of the horror. Ralph couldn’t imagine what else the crazy couple had done to that boy. He didn’t think his heart would ever stop breaking. He’d had to get out of the house as quick as possible, so he could let his emotions get the best of him. Stella would be a wreck herself if she saw him lose it like that.
Though this was the hardest thing he’d ever had to endure, since the death of his brother, Ralph wouldn’t hesitate to do it all over again if need be. He loved Carrie and Brian, and the Montclairs had earned all the respect he could muster. If it wasn’t for Sean and Elissa, that mangy beast would get her hands on Brian again. Now that he knew just how real the threat against the kid is, it was time for Ralph to put on his best performance.
He couldn’t screw this up or he’d take his shame to the grave. If Shirley went after Brian, he’d put her in a grave. Ralph opened the door and stepped inside of the sheriff’s station. No one was sitting at the front counter, so he hit the bell and waited. Marty Glib walked out of the back room, wiping his mouth and hands with a napkin.
“Well howdy, Ralph. Sorry for not helping you right away, but I was busy stuffing my face. Cindy cooked up some stuffed cabbage that’s out of this world. I have enough to share if you’d like some.” After he wiped his hand, he offered it to Ralph.
“It sounds delicious, Marty, but Stella keeps me pretty plump.” Ralph winked and rubbed his belly. If he never ate another hamburger or anything that used it in a recipe, why that would be fine by him.
“Well what brings you downtown, Ralph?” asked Marty as he went behind the counter and sat down.
Here goes nothin’, thought Ralph. “This afternoon I went up to Gillard’s to pick up a few groceries for Stella. Now, I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I walked past the dumpster and sitting right there on top was a half-frozen package of ground round. It still looked pretty good, so I reached in and picked it up. Well then, I took it back home and thawed it out. Burgers on the grill sounded pretty darn good, so I thought I’d surprise my wife and cook for a change.” Ralph felt his heart began to race when Marty looked at him with eyes full of pity.
“You pulled that out of a dumpster, Ralph? Ya know, we go back a long ways, and you should have come to me if you were falling on hard times.”
“No, no. It’s not like that. We’re not rich, but we’re not dirt poor either. It was just sitting there, so I picked it up. Anyways, when I started pulling the hamburger off the hunk to make the patties, there was something underneath the meat.” Ralph put the bag up on the counter and slowly opened it. He lifted out the bag that the disc was wrapped in. “So I opened it, and inside was this CD, and it was even in a case.”
“No kiddin’.” Marty looked inside the bag, then took the disc from him. “What was on it? Music?” Marty chuckled.
“It wasn’t music, Marty. Some sick people filmed themselves abusing a child!” Ralph raised his voice, but it wasn’t intentional. The very thought of what happened to Brian, instantly enraged him. “I think you need to look at this. I’ve lost my glasses, so I couldn’t make out any of the faces, but hopefully you can identify them.”
“This is disturbing, Ralph. Let me have a look at this thing. I hate people who abuse children, and I do everything in my power to go after them.” Marty walked over to a desk in the back of the room and sat down. He motioned for Ralph to sit in a chair beside him.
Ralph sat quietly, while Marty put the CD in and waited for it to begin. He was glad that no one else was in the lobby. Marty’s face took on several different expressions, until his eyes got as wide as saucers.
“Oh my God, Ralph! That’s Hank Waters!” he turned the volume up to listen as Hank told Shirley how he wished the boy would die. “We helped search that house, and found nothing! They went to church with us, Ralph. You say they hid the evidence right inside of a hamburger meat package? I’ll need to keep that bag.”
The sounds of Brian screaming and begging caused a sob to escape from his mouth. Marty handed him a box of tissues, then he quickly plucked at the keys on the computer. He spoke loudly into his radio.
“I need all available units to the Waters’ residence, at 2623 Pine Drive. Arrest Shirley Waters and haul her ass down here. I have, in front of me, a CD full of her and Hank Waters abusing their boy.”
The officers took turns running dispatch in the small office, but Ralph was glad that Marty was the one on duty tonight to take the report.
“Four cars are heading over there now. I’ll need to get more information from you Ralph, so we can put it in a formal report.”
“No problem. I’ll help out anyway I can. Scumbags like this need to be locked away forever.” Ralph took a form from him and, with a shaking hand, he began to fill out his name and address.
While Ralph was writing, he could hear a bunch of voices come over the radio. He couldn’t make out what they were saying. Marty picked up another handset and radioed for fire and rescue. Ralph stopped writing and looked at his
friend, waiting to find out what had happened. After several minutes, Marty let himself drop into his chair. He stared blankly at Ralph.
“What’s wrong?” Ralph cautiously asked. He’d never seen his buddy’s face this white before. “You don’t look so good,” he said, as he hurried to the water cooler and filled a cup. He handed it to Marty who downed the contents in one gulp. He slowly crumbled the cup tightly in his fist and threw it across the office, watching as it ricocheted off another monitor.
“She’s dead, Ralph, and a Wyatt County police officer killed her.”
Ralph lowered his head and tried to hold back his comments, but he failed. “Marty, I feel real bad for the officers who had to go through something like that, but from all the reports I’ve read in the paper, the Waters were made out to be saints, and that child was called a delinquent liar. From what I saw, and the way I watched what you just went through when you looked at the CD, that blasted woman and man deserve every law in the books thrown at them. Since she’s already dead, that kid’s going to be able to live safe. We should do a write up in the paper apologizing to their boy, Brian I think his name is, for disbelieving him.”
Marty began to fill Ralph in on the details of what happened before the rest of the officers filed in to meet and get their paperwork completed.
“They didn’t have a choice, Ralph. Had my gun been in my hand at the time, after seeing what was on that movie the sick shits had made, I’d have probably taken pride in going over to that house and shooting her myself.”
When the door opened and the other officers came inside, Ralph asked if he could finish the form up at the house if he promised to have it back first thing in the morning.
“You go on ahead, Ralph. Thank you for bringing this to me this evening. You made Laurel a safer place to live, and saved that kid’s life, that is, if she hasn’t already killed him.”
“If you need anything at all, I’m a phone call away. Make sure the disc gets placed into a safe or something. I’m sure those cops in Southfield, Michigan are going to need to get on it soon, before Hank ends up getting out from behind bars. He can’t be released, Marty.”
“Don’t you worry about its safety. I’ll make some calls in the morning, and find out where I need to send this to. We failed that boy for all those years, so there’s no way in hell I’m going to fail him now.”
Ralph thanked his friend again, picked up the form, and walked out of the office. He climbed into his pickup truck and happily sped back to his house. Stella was sleeping, so he quietly walked into the bedroom, removed the phone from its cradle and walked back out to the front porch. He called Tyler.
“Ralph? Did you get the disc and the bag of hamburger to the police station?”
“It’s all done, Tyler. They got all the evidence, and one of the officers watched part of it where Shirley and Hank could be easily identified. He called for the units to go pick her up at her house and bring her in. Marty, a buddy of mine on the force, said when the cops arrived with their lights on, Shirley opened up the front door and greeted them. Then she was informed they had the movie her and Hank made of Brian’s abuse and torture, and that she was being taken into custody. She turned and ran back inside, and of course the cops went right after her. She grabbed a gun. The officers ordered her to put it down, but she held it out in front of her and took aim. The cop shot her in the chest. She’s dead, Tyler. Let Brian know that he’ll be safe forever. Now get ya some sleep, and I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Thank you so much, Ralph. If you ever need anything, I’m just a phone call away. We’ll be driving down to see you in the next couple of days to pick up the copy of that disc.” Ralph could clearly hear the relief in Tyler’s voice. After hanging up the phone, he stepped back inside, reached underneath the coffee table, and patted the CD he had taped to the wood.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
The next morning, Tyler, along with the entire Montclair brood, had piled inside of his office. There was no way he was letting Brian out of his sight until the Southfield police got their hands on that disc. As long as there was a possibility of Hank being released, he’d be keeping the boy at his side for his safety. Jacob was finally able to join them, but for just a few minutes. He’d been holding up Montclair Pharmaceuticals since Brian’s court date, and Tyler could see the exhaustion on his brother’s face.
“Well, Bro,” began Jacob, as he embraced Sean. “I heard that you and Elissa saved the day. For the record, Vinnie, I taught this boy everything he knows!”
“Yeah, you sure did,” agreed Sean. “That’s why I got so explicit with a woman out in public and got my ass canned. I can’t thank you enough!”
Tyler sat behind his desk and listened to the laughter that spread throughout the room. He’d ordered pizzas, to be delivered for lunch, and according to the way his brothers were shoveling it down their throats, he should have ordered ten more. It felt good to be surrounded by his family’s playful banter and happy faces. When he broke the news about Shirley to Brian and Renee, then to the rest of the group, there was nothing but elation. The only words that came from the kid were, “Too bad it didn’t happen right after I was born.” Tyler couldn’t have agreed more.
Vincent told him that the Southfield cops had received the disc and the hamburger, and that they planned to bring new charges against Hank later this afternoon. Brian made it very clear to Tyler that he chose to no longer be a part of the court proceedings against Hank. Vincent said that it shouldn’t be a problem. There was enough evidence to convict the sicko without Brian’s testimony. All the boy would have to do is sit through a deposition and state that he was the child, and the teen, in the movies. Vincent had escorted Brian to the police station to let them know he’d returned to town, but since Shirley was dead and Hank was locked up, they found no reason to separate the boy from the Montclairs. Vincent planned to re-file the adoption papers and the request to change the kid’s last name, just as soon as formal charges were announced. Tyler was told that there were six hours of abuse recorded on that disc, and he pitied the people who had to sit through watching it. It made him wonder how many more movies Hank and Shirley Waters had made.
The terminations of Sean and Elissa were withdrawn, but Emma made it perfectly clear that she’d only help Elissa unpack her belongings. When Sean went into his office, he saw that Jacob hadn’t just been busy holding down the fort, he’d had his twin’s office painted pink, and floral curtains now hung over the windows. Sean laughed and said he was keeping it like that. Tyler wouldn’t put it past him.
The police hadn’t figured out that it was Carrie who’d helped Brian escape. If they did, they were keeping it to themselves. When Tyler woke up this morning, there were stacks of cash sitting on the kitchen counter from Carrie and Brian. He’d decided to keep that money in the house, just in case, not that he ever anticipated having to use it again. But you never know. They were the Montclairs after all.
Vincent had given Elissa the day off to spend time with her boys, and she’d chosen to bring them over to have pizza and celebrate with the family. What the woman had sacrificed for Brian was a debt he could never repay, but he’d spend the rest of his life trying. There were moments when he thought he’d never be reunited with his son again, but thanks to the brave efforts of Sean, Elissa, and Carrie, not to mention Ralph and Stella, he could now focus on living again. Having all of his family back together, was something he’d never take for granted. Ever.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Carrie could feel Vincent’s eyes periodically looking at her. He sat in an arm chair, while she was positioned on the corner of the sofa. She’d fallen asleep at Tyler’s house last night, so Renee had covered her up with a blanket and let her stay there. Vincent probably thought she wanted to move on since she hadn’t gone back to his house, so he would most likely ask her to leave. If he did, he did. Her job was done, but she wasn’t ready to separate herself from the Montclairs, and definitely not from Brian. He’d become a little brother to he
r, and he always would be. She’d seemed like a perfect fit last night with the family at Tyler’s house, but when she awoke this morning and didn’t hear Ralph and Stella’s voices, she felt like a misfit again. Where did she belong? She hadn’t had the chance to be alone with Vincent since they’d returned, now here they were, together in his office, and he had a look on his face that said she was about to get scolded.
She sat in silence, not even knowing what to say. Her entire body felt as tense as it had when she’d been waiting for Brian to make his escape from the courthouse.
“Did you know that I always wanted a dog? Not just any dog, but I wanted a huge, beautiful animal that I could hang out with. I have the space, and the perfect yard, but I’m hardly ever home. It certainly wouldn’t be fair to the dog, if I was never around to offer him companionship. Hopefully Brian will get a dog, so I can go over and visit it. I guess that’s why I never had a steady girlfriend either, just one night flings. I don’t think I could do it to be honest.” Vincent chuckled and shook his head.
Carrie wanted to vomit. She’d thought, when Vincent was making love with her, she meant something to him. Out of sight, out of mind. She’d left, and he’d moved on to another fling! She knew that if she opened her mouth, sobs would come pouring out. Carrie never felt so used in her life. She gave that man every ounce of her soul that day, and here she was, the stupidest woman who ever walked the earth! She wanted to crawl underneath the floor. Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.
“I’ve only led women into thinking I liked them, or God forbid, loved them, just so they’d shut up and meet my needs. It isn’t easy being a guy, it’s really not. Think about all of the bitching and whining, the jewelry, the expensive dinners, all to meet one goal.” He lifted up a pen and started fiddling with it.