Stolen Innocents (The Shadow Series Book 2) (4 page)

“Yes.”

It appears I have no other choice.

Chapter              2

June 15, 2000

Elkhart, PA             

Dawn

“This is not what I signed up for,” complained Officer Liam Morrow to his brother/partner Adam as a yawn escaped from his mouth. The sun was rising over the mountains and squad car E5 was parked just outside Healer’s Park. Officers Morrow and Morrow were keeping a close watch on the park and surrounding houses on Caribou Road in Elkhart.

“Crime is at an all-time low. This is a good thing,” Adam reminded his brother as he slurped the last of his soda through a straw.

Suddenly, breaking up the monotony, the obnoxious tones and petulant voice of the emergency response dispatcher squawked loudly causing Liam to sit up straight and listen intently. After weeks of no real action with the exception of breaking up a schoolyard fight at PS132, Liam was hungry for a real call.

“Robbery in progress. Car E5 to 41 Mountain Road.”

“Harrow’s…” remarked Adam as he flicked the button that controlled the patrol car’s siren and lights.

“Who the hell would steal from those old crows?” exclaimed Liam in shock.

“I guess we’re about to find out… Hold on.”

Clouds of dirt kicked up as Adam pulled the car out of the parking space, leaving the quiet of Caribou Road behind them.

***

Squad car E5 rolled up Mountain Road and stopped outside Harrow’s General Store. Edna Harrow and Peggy Dresher were waiting angrily in their house coats with pink and purple rollers in their hair. Adam and Liam caught sight of their appearance and while Adam tried to keep a straight face, Liam couldn’t contain himself.

“Jesus Christ. What did I ever do to deserve this?!” Liam complained.

Adam smirked as he exited the patrol car. He tried to disregard his brother’s reaction and put on a serious face.

“Edna… Peggy… What seems to be the problem?” asked Adam in a professional tone.

Edna was crying hysterically. She sobbed messily into her ratty yellow housecoat while her friend Peggy fanned her face dramatically; as if extra air was exactly what she needed.

“Oh, thank God you’re here! Someone broke in! I can hear them in there!” exclaimed Peggy as she continued to fan her face.

“Are they still in there? Liam…  Go check around back. I’ll keep an eye out front while I ask Peggy and Edna some questions.

Liam complied with his brother’s request and ran around to the back of the property to check for any signs of a break-in. Liam expected to see an open gate, a broken window, or some other sign indicating that someone broke in to the old General Store. As Liam approached the chain link fence in the rear of the property, he was puzzled by what he found. The chain link fence was still secured with a padlock. Liam climbed the height of the fence, landing hard on the dirt ground of Harrow’s yard. The yard didn’t appear to be disturbed at all. Continuing to be perplexed, Liam slowly made his way to the back door of Harrow’s General Store. Liam fully expected to find signs of forced entry or an unlocked door at the very least. Much to his surprise, Officer Liam Morrow found neither.

With great force, Liam kicked in the back door and he heard noises coming from inside – Strange noises. He heard something scratching against a wooden surface fast and furiously. Liam pulled his gun out of its holster and stalked the room, listening for the source of the sound. Step by step, he was getting closer to the noise, but he still couldn’t see the perpetrator. Finally, Liam identified that the sounds were coming from behind the front counter. Liam leaned over the wooden counter stealthily to get a better glimpse of the source of the noise. Officer Morrow couldn’t believe his eyes.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Liam yelled in fury.

With both arms, he reached down and yanked up two fat and snarling black and gray raccoons. They hissed and tried to bite him as he yanked them away from their morning breakfast – A bag of half-eaten trail mix and a can of lightly salted peanuts. Liam held them away from his body as he charged to the front door. Adam saw Liam coming towards him with something in his hands.

“It looks like Officer Morrow may have found something…” said Adam as he tried to make out what Liam was carrying.

“What did he find?!” asked Peggy neurotically.

Liam had an amused look on his face as he crossed the threshold of Harrow’s General Store.

“Just a couple of masked bandits.”

Liam held the pair of angry raccoons up by their scruffs for all to see. Adam had to hide his amusement while Peggy and Edna squinted to see what Liam was bringing forward. As Liam came into the early morning light that was shining on the porch, Edna and Peggy got their first glimpse of their “burglars.” Edna’s eyes grew wide and horrified. Peggy, meanwhile, had run away down Mountain Road. Her curlers were falling out of her hair and her bedroom slippers had gotten muddy from a puddle that she ran clear through. Edna followed hurriedly behind her, petrified of the critters in Liam’s grip.

“I’ve never seen two old bats run so fast in my life!” remarked Adam as he watched the pair run farther up Mountain Road.

“Where the hell are they going?! They live right upstairs!” Liam exclaimed, unable to control his laughter anymore.

Suddenly, the raccoons began swiping at Liam’s arms in an attempt to free themselves.

“Hey, get me one of those milk crates over there…” Liam asked Adam as he pointed to a pile of orange milk crates that were stacked on the porch of Harrow’s General Store.

“Ow! Hurry up they’re clawing at me!” Liam protested.

Adam stared at his brother with an amused look on his face.

“Hurry! Don’t you care if my skin gets scratched off?!” yelled Liam in agitation.

Adam jogged to the porch and grabbed two milk crates and ran back to where his brother was standing.

“Finally! Okay, now when I drop him,” Liam said, raising the raccoon in his right hand for Adam to see, “Trap him.”

“Alright, Mr. Critter Control. Whenever you’re ready.”

“Very funny.”

Liam dropped the raccoon to the ground and Adam forced the crate over its body, slamming it down tight. The raccoon hissed at Adam and reached its paw out through a hole in the crate. It swiped at Adam’s leg but missed. Fortunately for Adam, he had the crate secured in place with his foot. Finally, both animals were secured, and they only had to wait for animal control to arrive.

Liam looked at his brother with a perturbed look on his face. “I went through all this. You call animal control,” demanded Liam.

“Me? Oh, fine! Hold on. I hate dealing with these idiots.”

Adam pulled a silver cell phone out of his back pocket, pressed a couple buttons and put it up to his ear.

“Hi… This is Officer Morrow… Badge 7247 in Elkhart. We have a situation with a couple of raccoons… Can you send someone out to Harrow’s General Store on Mountain Road in Elkhart? 41 Mountain Road…”

Liam watched his brother as his aggravation intensified.

Calling the geniuses over at animal control always managed to grate on Adam’s nerves.

“What do you mean you’re short staffed?! I’m a police officer, not a zoo keeper!” Adam declared loudly.

A moment later, Adam snapped his cell phone shut as he shook his head in disgust.

“What did they say?” asked Liam.

“Regina at Animal Control says to take the raccoons to a wooded area and set them free.”

“After all that?!”

“Come on…”

***

Adam pushed open the heavy oak door of Morrow Manor with a groan as the fragrant aroma of seasoned meat caught his attention. Adam sniffed the air to make sure that he was not mistaken. Suddenly, the smell reached Liam’s nose and the pair looked at each other in confusion. They both checked the address on the front door to make sure they had the right house. As if Morrow Manor could be mistaken for any other house. They followed the scent into the dining room where they were greeted by a most unhappy mood. Bridgette sat at the far end of the dining room table with a miserable scowl on her pretty face.

Liam, who was still enamored by the pleasant smell, blurted out, “Whoever is cooking, it smells amazing!”

As the words escaped his mouth, Liam froze in shock; he just realized that his aunt was in the room. Bridgette shot an evil glare at Liam and then at Adam, who was considered guilty by association. Bridgette was slicing up a watermelon at the dining room table. This was clearly someone’s idea of letting Bridgette help with dinner since she could not be trusted with a frying pan or an operable oven. She proved that last month when she tried to make bacon and eggs for breakfast, and accidentally set the stove on fire. The blaze destroyed the kitchen. Angus paid for a total kitchen remodel with the stipulation that his daughter is no longer allowed to touch the stove.

Bridgette’s agitation intensified by the minute. Each chop of her knife was more forceful than the last, causing watermelon juice to fly everywhere.

“Uncle Frank and Tristan are making dinner tonight. They’ve locked me out of the kitchen and told me to cup up the melon! My cooking is not that bad!”

Adam thought,
Oh, but it is! It really, really is!

Adam and Liam stared at their aunt, wide-eyed and stark still. They tried not to laugh as the memory of the charred kitchen came to the forefront of their minds. They knew that if a single smirk crossed their faces, that their aunt would send the entire bowl of butchered watermelon flying across the dining room. It took every ounce of strength they had not to laugh at her. It did no good, as she sent chunks of fruit flying across the dining room table when Adam smiled ever so slightly.

“Oh, shut up! Get out of my dining room!” Bridgette yelled at her nephews as she started to laugh.

“Uh… Where is everyone?” Liam asked in a perplexed tone. Morrow Manor was never empty.

“They are all out back. Frank decided to throw an impromptu barbecue. Apparently, someone has some big news to share.

Adam and Liam looked at each other suspiciously.

“News?”

Bridgette shrugged her shoulders as she went back to mutilating the watermelon and the guys took that as their cue to go outside. Liam and Adam walked out the back door and found that a crowd had gathered in the yard. Joe Piedmonte was about to toss a horseshoe across the lawn as Jack, Shane and Blake cheered him on. In a huddled corner, Jenna DiNolfo, Cole, and Natalie were eyeing them speculatively as they worked out their game plan. Just before Joe was about to release the horseshoe from his grip, he spotted Liam and Adam and gave them a raucous welcome.

“Hey! Look who it is! Heroes of the day… I heard a rumor that you two foiled a robbery this morning…”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” said Liam with a chuckle.

“I heard you caught the guys red-handed… Don’t be so modest,” urged Joe.

Jack overheard the exchange and laughed loudly.

“Oh, Liam is never modest!”

Liam grinned broadly flashing a 100-watt smile. Jack wasn’t kidding. Adam finally decided to join the conversation.

“Oh, we got ‘em alright. Regular masked bandits,” Adam said in an amused tone of voice.

DiNolfo eyed her officers as her eyes lit up, illuminating her typically serious face. She knew all too well what her officers were up to. She also knew what had gone down inside Harrow’s General Store this morning. It was her job to know. She had no problem keeping everybody guessing, though, at least for a little while. Suddenly, Jenna couldn’t stifle her laughter anymore. Joe and Jack stared at Jenna with suspicious glances from across the yard. Joe had one eyebrow raised just slightly, giving him a slightly menacing look.