“What about the guys he was working with?” Stephanie asked.
“Two Mexican nationals. Brothers. Will be charged with kidnapping and human trafficking. Their M.O. fits with several other kidnappings throughout east and south Texas. They’ll probably be extradited, but the Texas Rangers are working on finding the eight other girls we think they’re responsible for taking.”
John turned his attention to Lucas. “You boys did a dangerous thing tonight. But also, very brave. I don’t know how your parents feel right now, but I want you to know that the entire police force is grateful for what you, Tyler and Elijah did tonight.”
Lucas looked at his parents. “I’m sorry that I scared you guys. I just wanted to save my sister. I kind of forced Elijah to come with me so I hope he’s not in too much trouble.”
Bobby said, “I know, son. Like Mr. Washington says, it was very dangerous. You could have been seriously hurt or killed. But it’s all over now, and you’re all safe.”
Lucas leaned back into his chair and shut his eyes. No longer able to hold it back, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
EPILOGUE
Saturday June 14 | 9:20pm
INSTEAD OF BEING built around a tree, the base was made from four nine-foot four-by-four planks, screwed together in a square. From there, four more four-by-fours were erected to make the legs, to which the floor was attached. With two-by-four planks set parallel creating some support, two sheets of plywood were screwed down atop these to create a floor, and the walls were covered in plywood. A rope ladder hung from the entrance cut into one side, and the roof was covered by a blue tarp, stapled down to the support beams.
The new fort looked over the brown wooden fence that ringed the Beakers’ backyard. From a window cut into the wall facing the east, they could see the edge of the woods. With the help of Bobby and John, the three boys were able to salvage some of the materials from their old treehouse in the forest and, with the blessing of their parents, built the new fort here.
The sound of cicadas echoed through the warm summer air. Even after sunset, the temperature was still hovering around eighty degrees. A breeze flowing in from the Gulf of Mexico made it bearable, however, and the temperature would continue to drop to more comfortable levels.
Inside the fort, Lucas, Tyler and Elijah were sorting out their items, laying down sleeping bags and pillows. Tyler pulled out a bluetooth speaker and turned it on. He cycled through some music on his phone until he found a song he wanted. Post Malone started playing through the little speaker and he sat it in the corner.
When she came home from her new summer job at the pizzeria on Kilgore Drive, Allison had brought the boys a pizza. “Consider it a housewarming gift,” she said. Now Elijah had two slices stacked on top of each other, cramming as much as he could into his mouth.
Lucas held a nail between his thumb and forefinger and hammered gently to get it started into the wood. He continued pounding until he had the page nailed down in all four corners. Once finished, he stepped back to admire his work.
The poster, their first piece of decoration, was the laminated front page of a recent issue of the Henderson News. The cover story above the fold read LOCAL BOYS HELP RESCUE GIRL, SOLVE MURDER CASE.
“Definitely better than the Avengers,” Elijah said, his mouth full of pizza.
Tyler nodded in agreement. “I’ve never seen Iron Man on the front page of the paper.”
As the music continued playing, Lucas smiled, admiring the poster. With his two best friends, he was ready to have the best summer ever and spend every night possible right here, in their fort.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew J Brandt is an entrepreneur and writer from
Amarillo, TX. He graduated from West Texas A&M Univeristy in Canyon, TX with a Bachelors in General Studies. In his free time, he enjoys watching baseball and spending time with his wife and kids.
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