Chapter 22

word count 833

The boys, still shocked, stood there like zombies.

"Well?" Gil repeated. "Is one a ya gonna help me?"

Adam was the first to offer a hand, and Elliot followed. They lifted the fellow and set him on the chair Jake had vacated. They seated themselves and an uneasy silence prevailed.

"Who was that other guy?" Elliot finally pondered out loud.

"Yeah, the dude had a gun. And we were gonna go to his house!"

Gil had plunked his head on the table, resting face down on his arms. He listened as the boys came to realize the error of their ways. A lesson well learned, he hoped. Now to figure out who they were and where they lived to get them home where they belonged.

"Isn...isn't this where one a you guys order me some cof...cof...coffee?" he warbled.

"Yeah, sure! You saved our lives!" Elliot rushed to the counter for the drink.

Gil lifted his head to spy Adam, studying the boy. Yeah, he did look familiar, but he couldn't place the kid. "So why were you gonna...gonna go wit...with that jerk?"

Adam blushed in obvious embarrassment. "I sort of had a fight with my mom, well, not a fight exactly. His mom is crazy, too."

"What?" Gil faked an expression of horror. "You...youze guys have craaa...crazy mo..moms!"

"Yeah, ya got that right!" The words came from Elliot who slipped a steaming cup under Gil's nose. "Drink this, dude!"

Gil took a sip while he considered the situation. He decided to jump right into it. He didn't want to blow the boys' trust in him, but he needed to get them home and safe.

"So whe..where do you you guyz live anyway?"

The boys exchanged glances. Adam spoke first. "I live a few blocks from here. Elliot is all the way across town. I'm Adam Miller, by the way."

Adam Miller? Of course, he was the boss's son! Buzz Miller's boy. He hadn't seen him in a few years but the kid had stopped in the station now and then with his dad. What the hell was he doing out here like this? Gil directed his gaze to the other boy, Elliot. Closer observation revealed streaks of red and scar tissue on his arm. Too many to be a coincidence. A cutter! What kind of problems were these kids running from to make them so dysfunctional? It brought back memories of his own childhood.

Dysfunctional for sure! An alcoholic father, a mother who didn't give a shit, lots of fighting. It was a place where kids didn't belong and never should have been. But Buzz Miller was an icon of society...how could his kid be so messed up?

"Youze kids shouldn't be out after dark like this! Didn't your mother ever tell you that?"

Both boys shrugged their shoulders in indifference. Gawd, they were young to be so disillusioned. Well, time to get them home.

Gil gagged, coughed, threw his hand on his mouth and muttered, "I'm gonna be sick!" He jumped up, waving his arm for them to stay behind. "I'll be right back!" He wobbled to the mens room in his best ever drunk imitation. Once inside, he called Buzz.

"Hey Boss! It's Gil. Where are you?"

"Very funny! Aren't you working under cover on that Jake guy?"

"Yeah, I am. But I ran into a problem. Seen your son lately?"

"What kind of question is that? Besides, I'm at the precinct working, so how could I see him?"

"My point exactly. I just found him and a friend at the Dairy Queen on the main boulevard, just the two of them, no adult, must have slipped out of the house."

"WHAT? It's almost ten o'clock at night. He's seven years old!"

"I know. That's what I thought! You wanna come pick him up!"

"YEAH! I wonder where the hell his mother was when the boy walked out after dark."

Gil grimaced. Poor Jeannie. Everyone around the precinct suspected how she was treated and felt sorry for her.

"Don't blame her! You know how kids are! So are you gonna come and get these boys? I didn't want to blow my cover."

"I'll be right there."

Gil hung up and peeked out to the dining area. The boys were still there, eating their hot dogs and talking. He slipped back in the mens room and waited. It wasn't long before he heard a loud voice. He looked out. Buzz had arrived and he was gathering them up. He watched as they headed out. Buzz sounded mad, but at least he'd get them home safe and sound.

When they arrived at Elliot's house, Buzz was determined to take the kid in personally and have a word with his parents. He intended to have a little talk with "Mr. and Mrs. Taggart" about letting their boy run loose at night and what a bad influence he was on Adam. Pulling Elliot by the scruff of the neck, he made his way up the steps and rang the bell.

Trudy Hunt answered and stared at him, her jaw hanging.