Watching Brad

[upyrkilt469]

Neil, you're going to cause me to have a heart attack. Like someone else said, post the next chapter fast, I have to know what happened to the twins. Luv ya.

 

[harry113]

Thank you Neil, Great chapter ... pity about the end ........
You always hit us when we least expect it !
Please Ted find the twins soon !!!!
Peace & Love
Harry

 

[kcm17480]

I figured there had to be a cliff hanger coming sometime. This is a very good chapter and now I can't wait to see what happens next.

 

[gmoney]

Wow! After so much love and warmth, I think you caught all of us off guard in returning to your old ways! As always, your writing is still as brilliant as ever. Wednesday won't get here soon enough.

-G

 

[Kyanimal]

WHAT just happened???? Where did THAT come from???? Those two little dudes better be drying off, next door at the Hayse's, after John, or Bernice, found them horsing around in the pool!!!!

DAMN IT, Neil!!! CLIFFS!!! You KNOW I have a "Thing" about Heights!!!

Is it Wednesday YET???

 

[Trent0n1]

Those two little dudes better be drying off, next door at the Hayse's, after John, or Bernice, found them horsing around in the pool!!!!

Let's just hope so! Neil......you are an evil, evil man! To lull us with several chapters of cuteness and happiness, and then to land us with this. Not happy Jan!

Trent

BTW....I was just joking about you being evil.....

 

[caddymac]

Do you know just how terrifying that is? With evil people out there who knows what could happen to those boys. To any parent this is not a cliff hanger this strikes terror in ones heart. I‘m with Kyanimal and hope they are at the Hayse’s cleaning up.

 

[gsdx]

WATCHING BRAD
Part 134​

The twins were gone.

I almost went into panic mode. I almost screamed at her, "What in hell do you mean, they're gone!?" I almost did a lot of things, but somewhere, somehow, Daddy mode kicked in just then.

Terry continued crying and shouting and apologizing, and I wasn't understanding a word of it.

"Terry!!" I yelled, cutting her words short.

She fell silent.

When I was certain she was listening to me, I continued as calmly as I could. "Take a deep breath and get hold of yourself. Tell me what happened."

She immediately went back into another panicked tirade and I shouted her name once more. Once again, she stopped talking.

"Terry, please," I said as calmly as I could. "I need you to get control of yourself and tell me what happened. Take a deep breath and calm down."

I could hear Terry working through her sobs. She was silent for only a minute or so, but I can't ever recall a single minute lasting so interminably long. She was still sobbing lightly when she began speaking again, but she was much calmer and more in control of herself.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Dee," she apologized.

"That's okay, Terry," I said. "Now, what happened?"

"I went to the bathroom after lunch," she began. "I wasn't in there for very long. Only a minute or two. When I came out, the patio door was open and the boys were gone."

"Did you check the house and around the yard?"

"Yes."

My mind raced for options. "What about next door at their grandmother's?"

"That's the first place I went," she said. "Oh, God, Mr. Dee, it's all my fault. I should have been watching them closer." I could tell she was beginning to panic again.

"Stay with me, Terry," I told her. "It's not your fault. What did you do next?"

"Mrs. Hayes came back with me," she explained. "She's with me now. We went through the house, top to bottom, looking in every closet and behind everything. They weren't here. I even phoned everyone around here that they know. No-one has seen them. Mrs. Hayes stayed here while I walked around the block."

"They might have gone to the park."

"I went there, and the schoolyard, too. They weren't there."

"Have you phoned the police yet?"

"No," she said. "I called you, first."

"Okay, I'm coming home right now. I'll call them. Could you phone Brad at Mom's and tell him to get home?"

"To pick you up?" she asked.

"No. I'll get another ride. Can you call him for me? Or maybe let his mother phone him."

"Yes," Terry said. "We'll call him. I'm so sorry, Mr. Dee."

"Let's just concentrate on finding them first, okay? You can apologize later." I tried to sound as calm and as comforting as possible, but inside, my guts were boiling and twisting as I fought against my own panic. My face burned with fear, but I knew my fear and panic wouldn't help my sons. I took my own advice and breathed deeply, calming myself.

"I'm going to hang up now, Terry," I said. "Phone Brad for me. I'll be home as soon as I can get there, okay?"

"Okay."

"See you soon." I set the phone into its cradle and jumped up from my desk, heading for my office door. I almost ran into JW on my way out.

JW grabbed my shoulders. "Ted, what is it? I was talking to Sally and I heard you from there."

"The twins, JW," I said. "They're missing."

"Oh, shit," he muttered under his breath.

"I need to find a ride home."

Without another word, JW grabbed my arm and dragged me over to the computer programmers as they sat at their desks. Their work was momentarily neglected as they looked at us. "Michael," JW said to one of my favourite programmers, a short, slim young man with brown hair and a pixie smile. His eyes always twinkled behind his glasses.

Michael rose quickly to his feet. "Yes, Sir?"

"Mr. de Villiers needs a ride home," JW said. "Can you take him?"

"Yes, Sir," he replied immediately.

"Stay with him if he needs you."

"Yes, Sir," Michael promised.

JW turned to me as he released my arm. "Is there anything we can do on this end?" he asked.

I shook my head. "I don't think so. Thanks anyway."

"Keep us posted."

"I will," I told him. And then I was gone. Michael almost had to run to keep up with me.

Michael, for his part, remained silent throughout the drive, speaking only when I gave him directions. Otherwise, he left me to my own sullen self and to my thoughts and fears and worries as I tried to gain my own composure. I couldn't fall apart when so much was at stake.

Ten minutes later, we were pulling into my driveway and parking behind my van. Michael came into the house with me in case the twins were back and he had to drive me back to work again. Terry was sitting at the kitchen table with Bernice. She jumped up and fell into my arms, crying once more, but into my chest this time. She was begging my forgiveness.

The twins weren't there, of course. They were still missing.

I let Terry cry, but only for a short minute, and then I pushed her away so I could look into her face. I could see the devastation there, the fear, the anxiety, and the guilt. I brushed her hair away from her forehead with my fingers and managed a smile. "Let's stop playing the blame game and concentrate on finding them, alright?"

Terry managed her own feeble smile and blinked at her tears. She nodded her head weakly. It was easy to see that she had placed all the responsibility at her own feet and there was little I could do to take that away.

"Let's sit down," I told her, and, with a gentle push on her back, I sent her back to her chair. "Help yourself to coffee, Michael," I said to my co-worker.

"No, thank you," he replied. "I'm fine." He remained standing as we sat.

I leaned my arms on the table, nodding my greetings to Bernice, then turning my attention to Terry. "Did you hear anything when you were in the bathroom?"

Terry shook her head back and forth as she looked down at the table. "No, not really. I heard one of them shout something, but I don't know what it was. Just one word." Her eyes met mine. "I was flushing the toilet when he said it. I couldn't understand what he said. I thought they were talking about the game on their Leapster. You don't think their mother came back and took them, do you?"

My head shake was more firm. "I doubt it. You would have heard their screams even ten toilets were flushing at the same time."

Bernice placed her hand on Terry's arm. "He's right, dear. You would have known if someone took them."

"Then where are they?" my nanny asked as she fought once more to hold back the tears.

I wish I knew the answer.

* * * * *

I'd sent Michael back to work. Bernice stayed at my place in case the twins showed up there. Terry rode with me in the van as I drove slowly through all the streets around my house. She watched one side of the street and I watched the other. All the while, we shouted their names out the window. The boys knew that they weren't ever to cross the street, so I concentrated mainly on my block before expanding the search. We took another trip to the park as well, and to the schoolyard. There was no sign of my sons in either place.

Brad and my Mom were at the house when we returned. They were clearly disheartened when we walked into the house without the twins. Brad fell into my arms, hugging me tightly as Mom rested her hand on my shoulder.

When Brad finally let go of me so I could breathe again, Mom said, "We must organize ourselves. We need to plan a search. Do you have a street map?"

"No."

"I'll print one!" Brad exclaimed and ran off to the bedroom to find a map on the internet.

It was almost three o'clock by then. The boys should have been here, getting ready for their afternoon naps. But they weren't. The house felt so empty and lonely, and so did I.

We all sat at the table, awaiting Brad's return.

"Someone needs to stay here," Mom recommended. "The rest of us can divide ourselves into pairs and cover more area."

"I'll stay," Terry volunteered, still wiping tears from her face.

"No, Dear," Mom said. "You need to be with someone. I'll stay. You can go with Teddy and Bernice can go with Bradley."

I nodded, as did the others.

"What were they wearing?" Mom asked.

"Their blue shorts with the back pockets and the blue and white striped T-shirts," Terry replied. "Oh, and blue socks." She looked at me and said suddenly, "Their shoes!"

I jumped up from the chair and ran to the closet in the entryway. Their shoes were there.

"They're in sock feet," I said as I returned to the table.

"Oh, the poor dears," Bernice whispered.

"We should phone the police, Teddy," Mom suggested.

"I think we should look for ourselves first," I said. "If we don't find them in the initial search, I'll phone them."

"We should take pictures with us so we can ask people if they've seen them," Mom suggested.

"Good idea," I said, getting up once more to get the photo album from the livingroom. That's when I saw the Leapster games on the floor. They were still running. I picked them up and set them on the coffee table. I was about to turn them off when I stopped myself. I would leave them on for when the boys came home.

I found two good photos of the twins together, one of which even had the exact clothes they were wearing right now. I gave that one to Mom. I had another photo of them in my wallet wearing their blue-striped shirts.

As I returned to the kitchen, Brad came out of the bedroom and followed me in, grabbing a pen from the drawer as he passed. He joined us at the table. "Okay," he said as he pointed with the pen. "There's no street names, but the red star is us. I zoomed in to six blocks around us." He moved the pen to the right. "Here's the school. The park would be here."

"Okay," I said, pointing with my finger at the blocks on our side of the street. "They're not supposed to cross the street, but that doesn't mean they won't. Let's concentrate on this area to the east first since they went out the back door. Terry and I will go toward the school. Brad? You and your mom go to the left."

Brad nodded. "How far should we go?"

I glanced around at the other. "Three blocks?"

"That sounds good," Mom agreed. "We can expand it later if necessary." The others nodded.

"Good," I said as Brad mapped out three blocks to the left and right and three blocks up. "We'll both do the middle blocks. If we don't find them, we'll do the blocks in the other direction. How does that sound?"

"If we don't find them in the first grid," Mom said, "I truly believe we should phone the police for help."

I thought about that for a moment. It sounded reasonable to me. I nodded and said, "Okay. We do the grid behind us and meet back here. If we haven't found them, I'll call the police."

I rose to my feet, as did the others. "Is your phone charged, Brad?"

"Full," he replied.

"Good. You take the car. I'll take the van."

Brad nodded, then circled the table and hugged me again. "We'll find them."

"I know we will," I replied. I could only hope that we were right.

* * * * *

I set out with high hopes. Terry and I rode in silence once again except for shouting the boys' names out the window. Just before we departed, I'd thought to tell the others to keep their eyes open between the houses as well, in case the twins were frightened and hiding. That's what Terry and I were doing. I drove slowly, much to the ire of those driving behind me, but I paid no attention to them at all.

We drove to the school first, and then to the end of the block before turning left. There was no sign of them. Every time we passed someone walking on the sidewalk, we stopped and questioned them, showing them the pictures. No-one had seen them, but everyone wished us luck.

We turned left at the next intersection, then left again, which brought us back to our street. I turned right this time. Systematically, we drove all of the nine blocks in our grid, then headed back to the three blocks behind our house. We'd finished the first two blocks when Brad pulled up behind us and followed us from there. We returned home and parked with no sign of them in the twelve blocks to the east of us.

My high hopes were quickly dwindling as I reached for the door handle. Brad met me beside the van. My disappointment in our failure to find them was clearly reflected in Brad's face.

"We have to call the police," he said softly. "We can't do this alone."

"I know," I told him. "I really thought we'd find them."

"So did I," Brad said. "I had a thought when I was driving. We're all they've got, except for each other. If they're lost, do you think they might go back to being silent and anti-social again? You know, hiding themselves away and not responding to us?"

"They know our voices, Brad. They'd respond."

"Not if they're curled up in someone's back yard having their nap. Look at the time."

I checked my watch. He was right. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Even if they're awake, they might be avoiding everyone and trying to find their way home on their own. If they've gone back to depending on each other, they probably won't even ask anyone for help. They'll be staying away from people as much as they can."

I knew Brad was right. I would have thought of that myself if my mind had been more clear. "Let's go call the police."

* * * * *

Barry showed up shortly after the responding officer did. Lindsay was home from school as well, sitting in my lap on the sofa and holding my arms tightly around her. Barry was dressed in full uniform and had arrived with lights flashing and sirens blaring. He didn't even knock. He just opened the door and came in which surprised the other officer.

I was glad he came, actually. The other officer was trying to convince us that the twins had simply run away and were hiding out for awhile. They would show up when they got hungry.

"You know these kids?" the officer asked Barry.

"They're my nephews," Barry replied, then turned his attention to me. "Are you okay, Ted?"

"Of course not," I responded sharply. "I'm scared to death."

"I was trying to explain to Mr. de Villiers that this sort of thing happens all the time," the officer said. "They run away and hide because they were grounded or because their father wouldn't buy them the latest video game. They'll come back when their bellies start rumbling."

"Not these kids," Barry told him. His annoyance matched my own. "They don't even go to their grandmother's alone, and she lives right next door."

"You can take him at his word on that," Bernice said firmly and without hesitation. "I'm ‘Grandma'."

The responding officer (I forget his name) fell silent, allowing Barry to take over.

Barry sat on the sofa beside me. "I was getting ready to go off shift when the call came in. I recognized the address and asked for a car. I won't go off shift until we find them. Oh, and I phoned Nathan. He's coming here after work to help search. What happened?"

I quickly filled him in on the details and where we had looked. I also told him that they may have gone back into seclusion.

"I remember you telling me about that," Barry said. "So, they might not even want to be found if they're hiding somewhere."

"At least not by anyone except me or Brad," I said.

Barry nodded, making notes in his pad. At his request, I gave him a full description of them - height, weight, hair, eyes, etc. "What were they wearing?" I handed him the picture of the boys in their blue-striped shirts. Barry looked closely at the picture and made more notes. "Can I keep this to make copies?"

"Sure," I said. "Anything you need."

The doorbell rang at that moment. Before Brad or anyone else could even respond, I handed Lindsay over to him, jumped up, and ran to the door. It wasn't the twins.

JW and most of the staff from work were standing there. Michael was there, too. There were six of them there, including JW. "We're ready to help you look, Ted, he said. "We phoned awhile ago when you were out and your mother told us you haven't found them yet. We thought you could use a few more eyes."

It couldn't possibly be after five o'clock. Lindsay had just got home from school. I glanced at my wristwatch.

"I let them off early to come help, Ted," JW said with a reassuring smile. "The others wanted to come, too, but someone had to stay behind to hold the fort. I have to get back, too, but these guys have volunteered to stay with you as long as you need them."

I looked at each of my co-workers. My eyes fell on Michael. "Whatever you need, Mr. de Villiers," he said. "Just tell us what you want us to do."

I swallowed hard, my emotions catching in my throat. "Come on in," I told them. They followed me inside, filing into the livingroom behind me.

"Brad," I said, "we need more pictures. Do you what CD it's on?"

Brad nodded and looked at our policeman friend. "Barry, what's the number on the back?"

Barry flipped the photo over and read, "J-1012."

Brad nodded again. "How many should I print?"

"I don't know," I said, thinking. "A dozen, maybe?"

Brad stood and disappeared down the hall to the computer in the bedroom.

"Who are these people?" Barry asked as I sat beside him again. Lindsay crawled into my lap once more and I wrapped my arms around her.

"They're from my work. They're here to help look."

Barry looked at JW. "How many cars?"

"Four," JW replied. "They'll go wherever you want them to go."

Barry thought for a brief moment, then stood up to talk to the group. "It might be best if they each pick a direction and drive around. The police will coordinate a grid search. We should be able to cover a lot of ground. Don't worry about overlapping search areas. Someone may see what the other misses. Show the picture around to everyone you see. Make people aware the kids are missing and to be on the look-out and to call the police if they spot them.

"Now, they've been missing for about three hours now. They could be right next door and they could be blocks away, so don't let down your guard. They're probably very frightened and very wary of strangers. If you see them, call it in to the police and phone Ted. Try to follow them at a distance until someone else arrives. Do you all have a cell phone?"

Three of my co-workers held up their hands.

"You three go in separate cars, then. There should be one phone for each car," Barry added as he pulled a blank sheet of paper from his pad and handed it and a pen to Michael. "Write all the numbers on here so we can contact you if needed."

JW pulled out his own phone from his pocket and handed it to one of my co-workers. Each car now had a cell phone available.

"Don't be afraid to go over streets you've been on before," Barry continued. "We don't know where these boys are or where they're going, and they probably won't respond to their names being called. If you try to talk to them, they'll probably run away."

Brad arrived with the printed photos and began handing them out. As he was doing so, Terry suddenly exclaimed, "Oh, God! The pool! I didn't check the pool!" She jumped up from her chair near the fireplace and started for the patio door.

"Stop her!" Barry shouted, and Terry was grabbed securely by the other officer. "I'll go," he said. "Everyone stay here."

I looked quickly at Brad. He was staring at me, a look of horror on is face. "I locked the gate, Ted," he said to me. "I know I locked it this morning. Oh,God!"

My eyes went back to Barry as he walked toward the patio doors, slid it open, and stepped through. The silence which filled the room was palpable, closing in on us like the silence of a tomb. All eyes were on the door, waiting. Breaths were being held and hearts had stopped beating.

Barry returned a few moments later, sliding the door closed behind him as he entered. "They're not there. The gate is secure."

Everyone released their breath as one and the collective sigh of relieve rose like wind through the trees. Brad distributed the rest of the photos as Barry continued talking.

"If everyone is ready, then let's get this show on the road." He looked at JW. "Can you talk to your group and co-ordinate the cars? Give them the directions they should search."

JW nodded.

Barry stepped toward me. "I'll get back to the station and get things rolling from there. We'll find them, Ted."

"Oh, Ted," JW said suddenly as he reached into his pocket. "I almost forgot." He pulled out the twins' favourite candy bars and handed them to me. "These are for the boys when you find them." He reached into his other pocket, pulling out two Reese's peanut butter cups, handing them to Lindsay. "And these are for you."

"Thank you," Lindsay muttered softly, but she set them on the sofa beside us. I picked them up and set all the candy bars on the coffee table.

As they started moving toward the door, I set Lindsay onto the sofa beside me and grabbed her another handful of tissues from the box on the coffee table before standing to join the group of searchers. Mom followed close behind and Brad and Brad walked beside me. Bernice stayed with my daughter.

"I'll take the car," I told Brad as the others filed out the door beyond. "You take the van."

"I think you should stay here, Teddy," Mom said. "I don't think you should leave Lindsay alone."

"She's not alone," I reminded her. "You're here, and so is Bernice."

"Listen to her, Teddy."

I listened, and I could hear her sobbing still, but louder now that the others had left her alone.

"She doesn't need us," Mom told me. "She needs her father. She needs you."

I looked into Brad's green eyes. "She's right, Ted. She needs you as much as the boys do. There's lots of people looking out for Justin and Jeremy now, and Dad will join them as soon as he gets home from work."

"As will Jan," Mom added. "I phoned him and he is coming here."

"You have to look out for Lindsay," Brad continued.

"But my sons. . ." I objected. "I can't sit around here when they're out there somewhere."

"You must, Teddy," Mom said firmly. "Your daughter needs you as much as the twins do."

There was a lengthy silence, broken only by the sobs and sniffles coming from my daughter in the other room.

"We'll find them," Brad promised. He hugged me then, long and extremely hard. "I'll find them," he whispered into my ear.

He finally released me, gave me a quick kiss, and then he and Terry were gone, closing the front door behind them.

Mom left me alone in the hallway and I stood there, staring at the door for a long time. Somewhere, on the other side of it, my two sons were lost and alone. They needed me, and I wasn't there for them. I, too, felt so entirely lost and alone, and so utterly helpless and useless. But Mom was right. My boys needed me, but my daughter needed me as well. There were a lot of people looking out for Justin and Jeremy. I was the only one to look out for Lindsay.

I swallowed my emotions, feeling them drop into my stomach and settle there in a huge, uncomfortable lump. "Bring them home, Brad," I whispered to the door, then turned and walked back into the livingroom.

I sat beside my daughter, lifting her into my lap and wrapping my arms around her once more. She settled her back against my chest, her head against my shoulder. Mom and Bernice left us alone, returning to the kitchen.

Lindsay and I sat there, holding each other. Her sobs slowly came to a stop as I held her, and then she said softly, "I'm scared, Daddy."

My voice quivered with the pent-up emotions I held inside me. "I'm scared, too, Sweetheart," I said just as softly. I hugged her even closer and pressed my cheek against the side of her head. "I'm scared, too."

To Be Continued​

 

[crazy3]

Neil,

YOU ARE KILLING ME! Don't do this to a professional Grinch! I am sitting in a Starbucks bawling like a baby! I haven't had Kleenex in my pocket since my children were young!

Great chapter!

Question: How do you manage so many characters... Do you maintain a story board or an ongoing outline?

Thanks, cannot wait until Friday!

 

[gsdx]

Question: How do you manage so many characters... Do you maintain a story board or an ongoing outline?

Good question. No, I don't maintain a storyboard, nor an ongoing outline. This usually doesn't cause me any problems, but, occasionally, it has cause me a great deal of aggravation. I remember the regular characters easily enough. I can see them all in my mind.

But some are created for temporary use and are quickly forgot. When I decided to bring Connie back into the story, I had to go back and reread all the earlier chapters to see what I had called her and if I had given her a maiden name. That was a major nuisance and pain in the ass for me.

 

[crazy3]

Good question. No, I don't maintain a storyboard, nor an ongoing outline. This usually doesn't cause me any problems, but, occasionally, it has cause me a great deal of aggravation. I remember the regular characters easily enough. I can see them all in my mind.

But some are created for temporary use and are quickly forgot. When I decided to bring Connie back into the story, I had to go back and reread all the earlier chapters to see what I had called her and if I had given her a maiden name. That was a major nuisance and pain in the ass for me.

My friend (if I may) You are truly gifted!

 

[harry113]

Neil, among your many talents you seem to have experience of a police search !!!
A well crafted chapter .... thank you
Jestertop, I also wondered about the hot tub .... are they asleep in it ???
Peace & Love
Harry

 

[botboy03]

Oh Neil! Why, why, why must you do this to us? You are killing me here. Come on Friday, get here soon.

Zac

 

[GrayFox]

Check the damn hot tub! You are making me a nervous wreck!

 

[upyrkilt469]

Great Chapter. As was said earlier, you're killing me. I hope my heart holds out until the twins are found. Can't wait for Friday. Vic

 

[botboy03]

Has anyone thought to check at Lori, the other Brad and Andrew's house for the twins? I doubt that Lri would take them without telling Terry, though. Just a thought.

Zac

 

[gmoney]

Somehow, I knew this wouldn't be resolved in one chapter. Once again, your writing talents shine through. I only hope this isn't one of those week-long stress storylines! I don't think I'll make it if you do that to us. Bring those precious little ones home, please!

 

[Kyanimal]

"I'm scared, too."

An Understatement if I've ever read one!!!!

This is ALMOST Too Much, Neil!! And you've raised my blood pressure "umpteen" points just before my Doctor's appointment, tomorrow!!

"Evil"? ... No! "Crafty" ... Yes!! (And I mean that in the true sense of the term "Craft"!)

Only two "Sleeps" 'til Friday! (But ... I won't be!! Sleeping too well, that is!!)

With fingers, and ALL else, crossed! ...

Keep smilin'!!
Chaz

 

[smile86]

i'm scared too!

 

[kcm17480]

Ah! another sleepless night I see. Oh well, this story has been worth the tense moments and anxiety that goes with reading it. Another excellent chapter. Thank you so very much Neil.