Through the Storm (The Montclair Brothers) (7 page)

Robert pressed the front of his body up against the car door, to keep his pants from falling down, while he dug his keys out of his pocket. As he pulled out of the parking lot, he wanted to floor it, but couldn't risk being pulled over. Cops were like flies; irritating, numerous, and dirty. He thought about Ron the Cop and grinned.

Making his way back to the freeway was easy. He'd have to find another rinky-dink town and find a gas station and hardware store. This stupid cast was going to have to go. Robert looked over his shoulder at the backseat. There was his beautiful .22 Long Rifle.
That's how stupid these hick people are up here
. No one even noticed. He busted out laughing.

He'd have to stop at a payphone to call Ron the Cop and get some more money. He was willing to stay in Castle Lake as long as he had to. Once The Bitch was discharged, Robert would blow her brains out. All he had to do was find a big ass van driving around. That's how groups of people like them traveled…like old people going to a Big Fat Bingo party. What a bunch of freaks.

When he saw signs pointing toward a town called Wilky, Robert took the exit. Wilky.
Who the hell names a town, Wilky
?
Sounds like Willy
. Robert wanted to admire his quick wit for a while, but he had work to do.

Finding a hardware store was going to take too much time. Robert was busy looking up and down
streets, when an old couple backed out of their driveway…right the hell in front of him. He had to slam on his brakes. Robert gave them a big ole salute with his middle finger, but the Old Crappers just shook their heads and drove away. Once they turned the corner, Robert got an idea.
I wonder what the Casket Candidate has in his garage
? Certainly he'd have some tools. He slowly pulled up between two houses and went around back. Luckily there was a privacy fence along the sides and the back of their shabby yard. Nothing like going unnoticed while you use your thick ass cast to bust the window out.
Life is so easy peasy
!

When Robert walked through the house to the garage, he spotted the neat row of saws, hanging on the wall on stupid yellow pegs. He hated that color. This was going to be tricky, but he wasn't about to cut his damn arm off. How could he possible aim his rifle then?

Robert's excitement grew when he found a nice Dremel tool in the Decrepit Geezer's cabinet, in the garage. He plugged it in and rested his arm on the tool bench. While he cut the stupid cast off, Robert had a sudden thought:
I wonder who'll get to eat my blueberry muffins
?

Tyler walked past the lounge on his way to the cafeteria to buy some sandwiches for his brothers and Emma. It wasn't easy to get them to eat, but he really had no room to talk. He'd been neglecting his own basic needs as well. He was trying to stay focused on the day when they could all go home.
Whenever that would be
. The reality is, as long as Robert remains alive, they'd never be able to have a normal life. He spotted Vincent and Sean, sitting in the chairs over by the window.

"No one's with Brian. Emma's in Jacob's room. There's no screaming,
so my guess is they're not trying to beat each other." Tyler was tempted to go to Brian's room, before taking the time to allow his brothers to respond.

"June's helping him get washed up. She said she'll come and get us when she's done," said Vincent.

"Okay. I was heading to the cafeteria to grab us something to eat. You guys want anything special?"

"Excuse us," said a voice coming from behind Tyler. It was the two detectives.

"Can we help you?" asked Vincent as he stood up.

"We have a small problem," Detective
Delcan said as he glanced at his partner.

Vincent let out a sigh. "What's the problem? I think you guys have gotten all the information from us that we're able to give."

"We don't know how this happened, but the shooting was on the news. They mentioned the names of the victims, as well as naming Robert Preston as a person of interest," said Detective Joy.

"How the hell did that happen?!" Tyler spun around. "You realize that Robert now knows his wife is still alive!"

"That's not all. We'd put out a BOLO on Robert when we couldn't locate his body in the driveway, so we received a report of a fatality in Callaway, just outside of Castle Lake. A physician was shot in the neck by a .22. When the officers were searching for Robert's body, they collected three casings at the end of the driveway. They were also from a .22."

"Shit!" Sean put his hands on his hips and shook his head.

"After the broadcast, a physician contacted the police in Maryville about a patient who matched the description of Robert Preston. Apparently, the reporters found his driver's license photo and ran it in the story." Detective Delcan thumbed through his notes.

"So he's at the hospital? Have someone arrest him for God's sake!" yelled Tyler. He was beyond livid.

"He left. They don't have an exact time for when he walked out, but the police are reviewing the security camera footage from the hospital and the parking lot. Hopefully we can get a license plate number."

"So now what?
You do know he's going to show up here to finish the job, right?" Tyler glared at the detectives.

"At this point, we know he's armed and dangerous. Because the news broadcasted the identity and the location of the victims, several people could be injured, or worse, should he decide to come in here shooting. We could move everyone to a different hospital, but if that information got leaked, we'd be in the same predicament. The point I'm trying to make, is that none of you
are safe at the moment." Delcan scratched his head and tightened his jaw.

"So what do we do?" asked Vincent, impatiently.

"I've contacted the hospital administrator. As soon as he gives us the go ahead, we're going to move you guys up to the sixth floor. Security is extremely thick, covering all entrances and exits, as well as the elevators and stairwells. There'll be four additional police officers on this unit. No one will be allowed to come in without being stopped and I.D.'d. For now, I can't allow any of you to leave the floor. We'll have an officer get you whatever you need." Detective Joy stared at each of them.

"He'll come here," warned Tyler. "You think the cops can stop Robert, but he has several of them in his hip pocket."

Detective Delcan's cellphone rang. "One second." He held up his finger and answered the call. "Delcan…Are you sure?...Yeah, what is it?" The detective wrote something down in his notepad before hanging up. "That was the lieutenant in Maryville. They have video footage of Robert exiting the hospital and climbing into a dark blue sedan. A camera captured the license plate number, which belongs to a rental car. They're on their way to the agency to find out more information. It's possible he's dumped the car and rented a new one by now."

"So we remain targets. That man needs to be in the ground," mumbled Tyler.

"I know you're upset. We aren't too happy either, but we're working hard to find out who leaked the case to the media." Detective Joy replied.

"I'll be back. I have to let everyone know what's going on," said Tyler as he turned to leave the lounge. It was imperative that the officers guarding Jacob, Renee, and Brian, as well as the staff, knew that if they screwed up, there'd be hell to pay. Brian's room was closest, so he headed there first. It took everything in him not to lose it when he saw the empty chair in the hallway. He
hoped the cop wasn't harassing Brian.

Just as Tyler was ready to knock on the door, he heard voices coming from the kid's room. He quietly cracked open the door and peered inside.

"You ungrateful little shit! Everything we've done for you, and you take off without a word! You have no idea how much you've embarrassed us! I'll make this promise to you, ya little worthless asshole. When you get discharged, I'm going to make you pay for
our
troubles! You're going to learn this lesson real quick like. When I'm able to get my hands on you,
I'll kill you
!" The middle aged man had Brian's gown knotted up in his fist, pulling him off the pillow so he was two inches from the kid's frightened face. The man was growling at him, just low enough so the sound wouldn't filter into the hallway.

"Calm down, Hank, he isn't worth it," said the woman with him.

Without even thinking, Tyler ran in the room, and slammed his body into the man, knocking him into the wall from behind.

"Get the hell off of me!" the man yelled.

"You're not going to touch him you
son of a bitch
!" Tyler screamed in his face.

All of a sudden, Sean and Vincent were prying him off of the man.

"Let go of him, Ty," demanded Vincent. "Brian, are these your parents?"

"Yeah.
Meet Hank and Shirley Waters." Brian was shaking uncontrollably, sending Tyler into a deeper rage.

"
Yo, Tyler. Come on man." Sean pulled him away. "I think you two need to leave," he glared at Brian's parents.

"Where in the hell is the cop that was supposed to be sitting outside?!" Tyler could feel his blood pressure hitting the roof.

June and a tech came running through the door. "What's going on in here?" she demanded.

"I thought you were going to let us know when you were finished
helping Brian. Why didn't you?" Sean was talking through his teeth.

"When I was finished, the detectives pulled me aside. I'm really sorry. Who are you?" June asked the couple.

"We're Brian's parents. I'm Hank, and this is my wife, Shirley. We'd like an update on our son's condition." Hank ran his hand over his short blond hair and adjusted his shirt.

"You're not going to know
shit
! You hear me?" Tyler yelled while pointing at the man.

Finally, a police officer appeared in the doorway, along with the two detectives.

"What's all the yelling about?" asked Detective Delcan.

"These two individuals are Brian's abusive parents. They're why he ran away. I heard his father, Hank Waters, threatening to beat and kill him. I'd like to make a report!" Tyler sounded out of breath. "It bothers me greatly, that they were able to walk in here without anyone knowing. If they can do it, so can Robert!"

"I'll help you make the report, Tyler," began Brian with a determination in his voice. "I'm not afraid of either of you anymore," he said as he stared down at his covers.

Tyler could tell the kid was petrified and unable to stand up against them. That was okay, though, because the
Montclairs were ready to be his voice.

"Step outside with the officer," said Detective
Delcan to Brian's parents.

Hank and Shirley walked by Brian and Tyler and smiled. Tyler wanted to sock him in the face. He stared them down until they left the room.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Brian. When you're finished, put your call light on," directed June, as she followed his parents out the door, closing it behind her.

"Brian, were you threatened?" asked Detective
Delcan.

"Yeah, I was. He grabbed the front of my gown and said he'd beat my ass when I got home, and kill me.  He meant it, trust me." Brian's face
reddened and his eyes began to water.

"Were they abusive?" asked Detective Joy.

"You could say that," Brian sheepishly replied.

"Is that why you ran away?" Detective
Delcan's eyes narrowed.

"If I didn't take off, I wouldn't have lived. I'm a thousand times safer on the streets than I am with my own parents." Brian finally lifted his face to meet the detective's eyes.

Tyler saw the pain written all over the kid's face. When his body tightened, he felt Vincent's hand on his shoulders.

"What happened when you lived with them?" Detective Joy asked as
he slid his hands into his pant pockets.

Brian looked down at his covers again. He remained silent.

"I know this is difficult for you, Brian," explained Vincent. "But we can't do anything unless you report them. We're here for you, okay? We won't go anywhere."

"Don't be afraid," said Tyler with more calm in his voice than he truly felt. "Start from the beginning."

"I'll tell them, but you guys can't be here." Brian looked at them.

"You want us to leave you alone with the detectives?" asked Vincent.

"Brian—" began Tyler, who was against leaving the boy alone.

"I appreciate everything you guys have done for me--" he began before he stopped himself.

"We're family," said Sean. "It'll be alright. We’re not going to let them come near you again."

"I know you won't." Brian turned his face away.

"Child abuse is something very serious, and we don't tolerate it. Now, I can't make a report without knowing the details. Let's start out with your earliest memories." Detective Delcan clicked his pen.

"Can we talk in private?" asked Brian.

"Yes, but are you sure you wouldn't like for one of your friends to stay with you?" asked Detective Joy.

"I'm his legal counsel. I'll stay," offered Vincent.

"Guys, I've never felt so much love in my life, and you're right. I really do feel like you're my real family. I need you to understand that it's not a good idea for you to be in here. It's not that I don't want the support, but there are just some things," Brian paused for a moment. "That you really don't want to hear."

Tyler felt his heart drop to his feet. He had no choice but to leave. Vincent and Sean were waiting for him by the door. He walked slowly over to Brian, and gently hugged him, while whispering in his ear. "We got this. You hear me?"

"We got this," replied Brian with a distant note to his voice.

Tyler could tell that the boy's mind was already a million miles away. He followed his brothers out of the room, and closed the door. He knew that whatever the kid had to tell the detectives was bad.
Real bad. All he could think of was a younger version of Brian, having to run for his life. As he was walking down the hall with Sean and Vincent, he spotted Hank and Shirley sitting in the lounge, looking smug. Before his brothers could stop him, Tyler walked up to the lowlifes. "Lawyer up assholes. You're going to prison."

Vincent grabbed his shoulders and pulled him down the hall. "Tyler, I know you, just like us, want to knock the shit out them, but this is something the cops need to handle.
You're going to have to stay away from Hank and Shirley Waters."

"I swear to God, Vinnie…" Tyler threatened.

"I know, Ty," said Vincent. "I know."

Tyler sat on the edge of the bed in an empty patient's room, staring out the window. His brothers were with him. Sean was sitting in a chair at the foot of the bed, blocking his path to the door, while Vincent leaned up against the door frame, just in case Tyler made it past Sean. He knew they were right, but if Brian's parents weren't going to play by the rules, then neither was he.

"Vinnie, what will happen to Brian once he's discharged? Where will they send him?" Tyler's hands were cramping. He had no idea he'd been holding onto the edge of the mattress with all of his might.

"If he has relatives, he'll go to them. Did Brian ever mention grandparents, or any other family members to you?"

Before Tyler could answer him, he heard Brian's father, yelling. Vincent and Sean ran to the hallway, and stopped suddenly. They both grabbed ahold of Tyler's arms as he attempted to push past them.