Devil's Nightmare: Premonitions (Devil's Nightmare, Book 2)

by Robert Pruneda

  “He has a nasty gash on his forehead,” the paramedic said. From what Principal Newman had told Aaron, Cody had smashed another kid’s head repeatedly against a locker. He couldn’t believe it. “We’re taking him to the ER.”

  “How serious is it?”

  “He’ll probably need a few stitches, but he should be fine. Can’t say the same for the kid who did this to the Mayor’s son, though.”

  “Wait, what?” That was news the school principal neglected to share with him. The situation had just gone from bad to worse. “That’s the Mayor’s son?”

  The paramedic nodded towards a black Cadillac Escalade. “Speaking of which…”

  Mayor William Hollingsworth parked his luxury vehicle next to Aaron’s cruiser and got out without shutting off the engine. He glared at Aaron while approaching the ambulance. As Aaron turned towards the school entrance, the Mayor stopped him. “Not so fast, Lieutenant. I need to have a word with you.”

  “Son of a…” Aaron said under his breath through gritted teeth. He turned around and waited for the Mayor to finish his conversation with the paramedic. Aaron watched as the back doors of the ambulance opened and the Mayor stepped inside. Sheriff Donovan arrived in his marked department-issued sport utility vehicle moments later.

  “Wonderful,” Aaron mumbled. “That’s all I need now.”

  Mayor Hollingsworth stepped out of the ambulance and met with the Sheriff. And was it necessary to have the strobe lights activated? Was it just to embarrass him, or was it simply a show for the head politician in town? Maybe it was both. After a short conversation, Mayor Hollingsworth and Sheriff Donovan made their way towards Aaron.

  “Lieutenant Sanders, we haven’t officially met have we?” Mayor Hollingsworth adjusted his tie.

  “No, sir, we haven’t.” Aaron extended his arm to shake the Mayor’s hand, but he ignored the gesture.

  “The Sheriff here has told me a lot about you, Lieutenant. He says you’ve brought some great talent and expertise to the department. You have my utmost gratitude for that, I can assure you.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Aaron said, but he could tell when a fake compliment preceded a lecture.

  “It’s a good thing we have a man with your experience to help lead us with the current crisis we’re facing.” A politician doubling down on the compliments couldn’t be good. “The recent events that have occurred in our town have been most troubling. And to my knowledge, Lost Maples has never seen this type of violence since prohibition. Richard considers you a great asset to the Lost Maples County Sheriff’s Department, and so do I.”

  “Again, thank you, sir.” The Mayor was piling on those commendations. That made Aaron’s stomach tighten, a natural reflex to prepare him for what was coming next. “I appreciate that.”

  “With that said…” Right on cue. “On a personal level, I have to say that I’m extremely disappointed with what just happened. Frankly, I’m pissed.”

  “Sir, I’m sor—”

  “I’m not finished, Lieutenant,” the Mayor furrowed his brow. “The Lost Maples Independent School District has a zero tolerance policy on violence and will not stand for this type of behavior. Nor will I tol—”

  “Cody has never done anything like this before, and I don’t see how this—”

  “I really don’t care, Lieutenant. And do not interrupt me again.” The Mayor took a deep breath and glanced at the Sheriff. “I don’t blame you, but I do expect you to accept the consequences.”

  “Consequences?”

  “Yes, consequences. I’m pressing charges, and expect you to pay for all of Christopher’s medical expenses.”

  “What? That’s absurd. We don’t even know what happened in there. For all we know Cody was defending himself against your kid.”

  “By smashing my boy’s head into a locker? He may have a concussion because of your—”

  “All righty, boys,” Sheriff Donovan said, placing his hand on Aaron’s arm and the Mayor’s shoulder. “whatcha say we keep our heads on straight.” He turned to address Aaron directly. “And you, sir, best show the man some respect. He’s our Mayor, for heaven’s sake.”

  Aaron glanced away and shook his head. He took in a calming breath and tilted his head towards Mayor Hollingsworth. “Well, he started it.”

  Sheriff Donovan rolled his eyes at Aaron. “You’re a pain in my blessed assurance, you know that, Sanders?”

  Aaron formed a fake smile. “I know.”

  “I’ll be at the hospital, Richard,” Mayor Hollingsworth said. Then he pointed at Aaron. “You need to have a long talk with your kid, Lieutenant.”

  Aaron’s smile faded. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, Sheriff Donovan held his palm out and shook his head. “Why don’t we find out exactly what happened?” Sheriff Donovan suggested to the Mayor. “We don’t want to be jumping to no conclusions. You have every right to be upset, but you know how boys can get their britches in a wad at that age. Things can get out of hand sometimes.” He leaned closer to Mayor Hollingsworth and whispered something into the Mayor’s ear.

  Mayor Hollingsworth glanced at Aaron and pursed his lips. “All right, fine. But don’t expect any leniency from the school. I expect them to handle this by the book.”

  Aaron watched the Mayor return to his Escalade and drive away. “Come Election Day,” he said to the Sheriff, “I’m voting for the other guy.”

  †

  “What do you mean you can’t find him?” Aaron asked Principal Newman. “Didn’t you have someone watching him?”

  “I stepped out of my office for just a moment,” she explained. “When I returned, he was gone. School security is searching for him as we speak. I am certain that our surveillance cameras will locate him.”

  “He’s a fourteen-year-old kid that got into a fight. He’s not a fugitive.”

  “He sent the Mayor’s son to the hospital, Mr. Sanders. I would consider that a severe offense.”

  “Right.” Aaron leaned back against the office door and crossed his arms. “So, should we call in San Antonio SWAT? Maybe the U.S. Marshall’s Office? Or would that be too extreme for you?”

  Principal Newman stood from her chair and placed both hands on the edge of the desk. “Do you find this amusing, Lieutenant? Because I don’t. Cody assaulted Mayor Hollingsworth’s son.”

  “You don’t have to remind me of what allegedly happened. I’m well aware of that.”

  “Then you’ll understand that I have no choice but to suspend Cody.”

  “Oh, give me a break.” Aaron pushed away from the door and stared out the office window. “You don’t even know the whole story yet.”

  “We have a zero tolerance policy here at—”

  “Zero tolerance?” Aaron spun around. “You mean that selective zero tolerance policy that allows Peter Slavic to slap Cody around without any repercussions.”

  “We have no evidence he physically harmed anyone at this school. And Cody hasn’t reported anything of the sort.”

  “Because he’s afraid of that piece of…” Aaron stopped himself and took a deep breath. He struggled with separating his requirement of professionalism from expressing his personal opinions as a parent. “Look, all I’m saying is that Cody deserves a chance to tell his side of the story before getting kicked out of school.”

  “That is exactly what I was trying to do, Mr. Sanders, but he chose to leave my office before we could discuss his dilemma. If we can get him back in this office before the end of the day, then maybe we can discuss our options.”

  The phone rang, but Principal Newman didn’t answer it.

  “Could be your security detail,” Aaron said, glancing at the ringing phone.

  She answered it, listened, and rolled her eyes. “And you’ve checked every restroom and his next class?” She sat down and glanced at Aaron. “Yes… Perhaps… Then we’ll know soon enough.” Principal Newman replaced the receiver on the cradle and returned her attention to Aaron. “Apparently, Cody may have left the premises.”<
br />
  “The great juvenile escape.”

  Principal Newman’s glare clearly indicated her lack of amusement. She handed Aaron her business card. “Call me as soon as you see him. And as far as Peter Slavic is concerned, I’ll look further into that. Will that satisfy you?”

  Aaron slipped the card in his wallet. “Fair enough.”

  †

  Aaron left several messages on Cody’s cell phone while he searched for him in town. He started with Saint Michael’s Catholic Church, but none of the clergy or staff had seen him. Father Sotoro offered to enlist some parishioners to assist with the search, but Aaron declined. After searching for over an hour, he finally called Maria to let her know what was going on.

  “You’re not making any sense,” Maria said. “He’s been at home all day.”

  “What?” Aaron pulled his vehicle into the Sheriff’s Department parking lot. “Are you at home with him now?”

  “Yes. He was running a fever this morning and feeling nauseous, so I brought him back home after dropping off Samantha. I wish you would have called me earlier.”

  Aaron squeezed the ridge of his nose. “So, he hasn’t been at school all day?”

  “No, he hasn’t. I would have called you, but I didn’t want to bother you with it. This thing at school must be some mistake. He couldn’t have done what they said he did.”

  Aaron’s phone beeped. He glanced at the screen and read the short message from Sergeant Henderson: Are we still visiting Peter Slavic?

  “Aaron?”

  “I’m here.” He got out of the car and noticed Sergeant Henderson exiting the building. “We’ll talk about it when I get home. Scott and I need to take care of something first.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Evasion

  Aaron did not expect for the visit to the Slavic residence to be any more fruitful than his attempt to speak with him at school, but to his surprise Peter’s father let him and Sergeant Henderson inside the house without confrontation. The teenager had neglected to come home right after school, but according to Dalton Slavic, it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.

  “That kid never listens to either one of us, so I finally gave up and just let him do whatever the hell he wants,” Mr. Slavic explained. “What exactly did you want to talk to him about?”

  Aaron cleared his throat. “Do you know a man named Daniel

  Corbin?”

  “No, I don’t. Why?”

  “He’s a local drug dealer.”

  Peter’s mother rose from her chair in the living room. “I knew that’s what all this shit was about. You think my boy’s doin’ drugs, don’t ya?”

  “Sit down, Bernice,” her husband ordered. He gave her a stern glare and pointed to the chair. He held the gaze until she finally eased back into the chair. He focused his attention back on the law enforcement officers. “You were saying?”

  “Peter has, in fact, used marijuana.” Aaron glanced towards Mrs. Slavic, who pointed her hand at him as if saying I told you so. “And, according to your son, Daniel Corbin is the man who’s been selling it to him.”

  “So arrest that lowlife son of a whore. What do you need to talk to Pete for?”

  Aaron and Sergeant Henderson shared glances with each other. The front door opened and Peter stepped inside the house. He froze when he spotted Aaron and Sergeant Henderson. “What are they doing here?”

  “We were telling your parents about your buddy, Daniel,” Aaron said. “You know, your dealer?”

  Peter pointed at Aaron and Sergeant Henderson. “Whatever they told you, it’s a lie.”

  “Oh, save it, Pete,” said his father. “I knew you were smoking pot. I’m not a fuckin’ idiot. Now, sit your ass down and answer their questions.”

  Peter ground his teeth and glared at Aaron before obeying his father. He pulled up a chair from the dining room table and sat with the chair reversed. He rested his arms on the back. “This is a waste of time. I already told them everything I know.”

  “Who else is Mr. Corbin selling drugs to?” Aaron asked.

  “I have no idea.”

  “When is the last time you saw him?”

  Peter wouldn’t respond to that question.

  “Answer the man,” his father ordered. “Or maybe I should let them search your room.”

  “That might not be a bad idea,” Aaron said.

  “Yesterday, after school,” Peter answered, “but I was just tellin’ him I couldn’t buy that shit no more.”

  “And what did he say?”

  “Nuttin’. Said he had to lay low for a while. Somethin’ ‘bout gettin’ revoked.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why do you care so much about some dumbass drug dealer, anyways? You think he offed Randy?”

  “How well did you know Daniel?” Aaron ignored the statement about Randy. “Outside of him dealing drugs.”

  “Nuttin’. That’s it.”

  “Has he ever introduced you to anyone else?” Sergeant Henderson asked. “Maybe another dealer?”

  “Nope. Don’t know nuttin’ about him. He’s just some dude that sells pot.”

  “You got any of that shit stashed in your room?” his father asked.

  “What? No!” Peter’s voice went up an octave.

  Mr. Slavic got up and disappeared down the hall. His wife called out to him, “Where you goin’, Dalton?”

  “My room,” Peter said, rising from his chair.

  Aaron pointed downward. “Sit down, Pete.”

  Mrs. Slavic jerked a stern index finger back at Aaron. “You don’t tell my boy what to do in my home.” She told Peter to stay put and headed down the hall.

  Aaron and Sergeant Henderson shared glances with each other and stared at the nervous teen seated across from them.

  Peter’s father yelled, “Pete, get your ass over here, right now!”

  He hesitated, but obeyed his father. He looked over his shoulder at Aaron, as if asking him to follow.

  Sergeant Henderson got up, but Aaron shook his head.

  “You sure?”

  “Let them deal with it.”

  “You know his dad probably found drugs. And if he did, then we have an obligation to—”

  A loud crash came from down the hall. “No son of mine is gonna look at that shit,” Peter’s father yelled. “You fuckin’ queer!”

  Aaron and Sergeant Henderson shot from their chairs towards the commotion.

  “I don’t know how that got there,” Peter cried out. “You gotta believe me.”

  “So that shit just showed up all on its own? Bullshit!”

  “Dalton, calm down,” his wife said.

  “How am I supposed to be calm after finding that shit on Pete’s computer?”

  “What’s the problem?” Aaron asked from the doorway. Peter was seated against the wall on the other side of the bedroom, a notebook computer at his feet. The screen was cracked, but the male pornographic image was still visible.

  Peter’s father held a wooden baseball bat in his hand. He pointed it at the computer. “That’s my fuckin’ problem.”

  Sergeant Henderson held his hand out. “Sir, put the bat down.”

  “How the hell would you feel if you went into your boy’s room and found out he was yanking off on that shit?” He pointed with the bat again. “Don’t you think you’d be one pissed off motherfucker?”

  “Why don’t we head on back to the living room,” Henderson suggested, with one hand extended and the other held over his gun. “Give me the bat.”

  Mr. Slavic took a deep breath and set the bat against the desk. “Get your fat ass off the floor,” he said to Peter, and slammed the laptop computer closed with his foot. He picked it up and shook it at his son. “We’ll deal with this shit later.”

  Aaron and Sergeant Henderson stepped aside, leaving room for Mr. Slavic to leave the bedroom. His wife followed, but Peter remained on the floor, embarrassed anger smeared across his face. The incident had shed some light on where his poor behavior at school had originated. It
wasn’t excusable, but it did trigger at least some empathy. Aaron took a deep breath and clenched his jaw before offering Peter his hand. “Let’s go.”

  Henderson raised his eyebrows. It wasn’t a sight either of them had expected.

  Peter stared at Aaron’s hand for a moment and pushed himself off the floor, using his desk and the wall for balance. As he stepped past Aaron towards the hallway, he said, with an adamant tone, “I ain’t no queer.”

  Aaron raised his hands. “None of my business, pal. I’m not judging you.”

  “I didn’t put that shit on my computer,” Peter insisted, and pushed past Sergeant Henderson.

  After Peter left the room, Aaron widened his eyes at Sergeant Henderson. “Okay, that was awkward.”

  †

  Aaron tossed his car keys on the entrance table and set a plastic bag on the kitchen counter. “Daddy’s home.”

  Maria gave Aaron a kiss on her way into the living room, where Cody was seated on the couch. A baseball game was displayed on the television screen. Maria handed Cody a ceramic mug of hot tea, and rested the back of her hand against his forehead. “You’re still burning up. I’m taking you to the doctor tomorrow morning.”

  Aaron gave her a sideways glance and a slight shake of his head, while he removed his utility belt.

  “I don’t want to go to the doctor,” Cody said. “I’m feeling better. Just let me stay home one more day. Please?”

  “Well, if you’re feeling better, then there’s no reason for you to stay home for another day.”

  Aaron set his belt on the couch and sat next to Cody. “She’s got a point there, kiddo.”

  Cody frowned and drank from his mug.

  Maria grabbed the bag off the counter. “Did you get the Emetrol like I asked?”

  “It’s there.”

  She pulled the contents from the bag and held up a small six-ounce bottle of wine.

  “That’s my medicine. I’ve had a hell of a day.” Aaron slapped Cody’s thigh. “So, what have you been up to?”