The Mènage

♤Chapter 8♤

Detective John Lopez felt the panic from within his stomach. A million butterflies seemed to have taken over his insides, flapping their wings right inside his tummy. His heart was pounding and he could hear the hot air rush around his head and ears. Shivers spasmed his whole body and his whole senses seemed to be on lockdown.

His baby girl was missing! And by the looks of it, it had to be for some time because everything was as it had been on his last visit to her place. The once beautiful flowers outside in her patio now lacked the colored brightness they had had before. He just couldn't believe that he had missed all the signs. They were right under his nose and now only heavens know what was being done. And to think he thought of himself as one the good detectives in his field!

His agony was mirrored on his son and and Mike's face. The younger men were unable to hide their quiete as well as he had. He saw James's hands shook as he lifted to touch the half dead flaower. His distress ejected in volumes around him.

Detective John stood outside of Amy's door looking for anything that would give him a clue on the whereabouts of his baby girl. He was trying hard to swallow the large lump lorged in his throat, trying to abide by his own advise: Do not panic, panic kills the deer not the lion. He turned his pained eyes to look at Mike who he too seemed to be lost deep in thoughts. After all they had all dismissed the possibility that Birdie Boo could be missing.

Mike was being tormented by his past as he kneeled before the wilted flowers. He was thinking about how Amy had been there for him in his great time of need yet he had been eating and enjoying her families' food whilst she was somewhere enduring what only goodness knew. The night when he had met her played in his mindò like an old cassette in the recorder. The night he met himself an angle with the purest heart ever he had ever known.

"Dad please, I'm very sorry. Please forgive me father, it will never happen again." Amy heard the pleadings of the 15 year old boy who was being brutally beaten by his father. His words echoed in the quiet alley, accompanied by the heavy punches and belt thrashes he was receiving.It was not  the first time she had become a witness to such behaviour, her daddy was a cop after all and he pretty interesting night calls but this was by far the bloodiest she has ever seen. The young boy was bloody, his head cracked open with blood oozing down his face. His fists were raw from probably flinging his hooks at his father. He was skinny and just downright pathetic looking too.

She had heard him cry almost every night when she had been out partying with her friends but tonight she just couldn't bring herself to ignoring it like before. Tonight she planned to help him and by golly she had no idea how but she was going to regardless of how hopeless it looked. She crouched and hid her small body behind the darkened smelly bin, swearing somebody had dumped a hum carcass with the way the filthy thing smelled.

She listened to the drunk man stumble away from the bleeding boy, yelling at the top of hos voice that he was tired of being tied down by the ungrateful brat. She quickly up run to almost dead boy, praying he was conscience enough to cooperate with her, knowing that time was of essence because his father would be back soon. She didn't want to think about what would happen if the old gizzard came back and found her bent over his son, the thought sent a shiver down her spine and accelerated her already erratic heart.

"Come on, we need to get you to the hospital or your rotten mango of a father will be back." She was talking softly to him,  trying to keep him conscious. She moved as fast as she could with the heavy boy on her back. At 12 years, Amy had a tiny body and the boy she was dragging felt like heavy boulders on her poor back. They navigated through the alley, jumping whenever she heard mumbles and dragging feet until she saw her elder brother who had been sent there to fetch him.

Luckily, didn't ask any questions but drove them quickly to the hospital. From that day they became close and Mike never saw his horrible father again.

Amy was his best friend, his one true friend who had been his rock throughout this many years yet here he was failing her in the on instance when she needed him the most. He turned his hard eyes to Detective Lopez and said what he knew he and her brother were both burning to ask, "how do we find her?"