Chapter 212

word count 1109

A loud boom woke Buzz from a dream, a bad dream about being chased by wild women who were looking for anything but love, screaming, crazed witches chasing him like bats out of hell. They were closing in when a noise jarred him awake. He rubbed his eyes and spied a pick up truck at the intersection. Mud-covered and ancient, it was the source of the clanging that broke his slumber.

He sat quietly, poised against the same wall where he'd started, warmed by the late afternoon sun heating the concrete sidewalk. Glancing at his watch revealed he'd snoozed for an hour. His mind lolled in slow motion while he tried to put his thoughts in order. He'd slugged Trudy and taken off. A crime committed and he was on the lam. The realization that they would be looking for him, and looking soon, hit him like a thunderbolt. He pictured squad cars with lights glaring.

I've got to get moving, he thought. Buzz was a cop and a damned good one, famous for jumping into the heads of perps, to know what they were thinking, what they would do next. Needless to say, he was equally as good jumping into the heads of cops and knowing what they would do, too. Hell, he trained most of them. He got up and stretched, then strolled down the street, peeking into alleys as he walked.

Quite a collection of human debris lined the skinny off shoots of Main St. Pausing to survey the bums in each strip, he walked past each but stopped at the third one. Taking long steps he approached a derelict who leaned against a dumpster, a wine bottle in his hand, Ripple, not surprisingly.

"Hey pal, how would you like $100 for your pants, shirt and jacket. I'll give you my clothes for yours." Buzz didn't sugar coat it, just an honest offer that was hard to refuse.

"You kiddin', buddy! A hunnert bucks? Sure!" The bum had his pants unzipped before the words got out of his mouth.

Buzz glanced around to make sure the coast was clear. The dark alley was private. He got out of his clothes and into the other fellow's, handing him a crisp hundred at the end. "If anyone asks you, you haven't seen me. Those are your clothes, always were. And that's that. Got it?"

"Sure, no problem. Thanks again, mister, although what you want with my old rags is beyond me."

"I like their 'lived-in' look." Buzz shot him a friendly wink. Making his way to the street, he pulled the filthy jacket's hood up and put on his shades. It was a good Ted Kaczynski look. Feeling his stubble, he mused he was off to a good start. Before he got to the main drag, he acquired a limp, and hunched over, moving slowly, stopping along the way to smear grime on his face and hands and mud onto his shoes. Now he just needed to find a boring place, in plain sight, to hang out...and be overlooked. He'd keep an eye on things. Once he was sure there were no longer any watches at the train station or airports, he could get out of town.

* * *
Trudy emerged from the cab dragging her feet. What a day! She and Buzz had gone to see their kids, and Elly ran away rather than meet with her, and then all hell broke loose. In pursuit of the boy, Buzz became enraged at her and smacked her good, leaving an angry bruise on her face as big as his fist. She didn't care. She loved him and knew damn well she had made him angry. It was her fault.

When she tried to tell that to the policemen when they took her statement, they tsked-tsked her remarks...which only made her madder. It was a good thing they let her go home when they did, or she might have hurt someone herself. She tipped the driver and made her way up the steps. If she was lucky, Buzz had come home and they could make up and get on with their lives. To hell with what the police said.

She entered the darkened living room to what she thought was an empty house. Algernon's voice coming from a far off corner made her jump.

"Trudy, dear! You're home."

She blinked, trying to adjust to the dimness of the room, searching for Algie in the dark. "Algie, hon!  Where the hell are ya and why are ya sitting in the dark?"

An audible sigh, then, "Oh, it's just to match my mood, dark and somber."

She found him in an armchair in the corner. Going over, she sat by him. "And why are ya 'dark and somber?'" Mocking his accent with the last few words, she gave him a smile hoping to cheer him.

"Well, brace yourself, Trudy. What I'm going to tell you may surprise you."

"The way my day has gone, I don't think anything would surprise me."

"Au contraire," stated Algie. He stopped short when he spied the bruise on her cheek. "Good Lord, Trudy! What happened to you?"

"Nuttin. Now tell me your news."

"Well, my dear. Winnie is upstairs with her paramour. She claims she's just using him to get information, but I'm beginning to doubt her."

As if on cue, the racket of vibrating bed springs echoed above their heads. Algie looked up. "That's the third time tonight," he said.

Trudy whistled in admiration, a long, breathy tweet. "So who is her squeeze?"

"The police commissioner, Peter Peterson." Algie replied, shaking his head sadly.

"That COP is in our house?" Trudy asked, her fist clenching. She saw red.

* * *

Jacob and Enos settled in the family's guest room making sure to stop and pray to thank God for their good fortune in finding such comfortable accommodations for the night. They had just settled into plush twin beds and flipped on the quaint, Victorian lamp on the bed table to read their Bibles, when a knock sounded on the door.

John and Lisa entered. Lisa balanced in her arms a tray of steaming mugs of cocoa and a generous plate of cookies. Alluring aromas filled the room with a cheerful warmth.

"I hope you don't mind the intrusion," John said. "But we have a proposition for you. He shot them an awkward smile. "How would you men like to stay in New Albany for a while?"

chapter 211

word count: 1145

with trudy adamant that she had no intention of pressing charges against buzz, hank included a request for a female officer to arrive on scene ASAP when he called in the APB for buzz, and a bus to transport trudy to new albany general so that her wounds could be assessed, but more importantly properly photographed and officially documented..

hank decided letting the female officer break the news to trudy that even without her formally pressing charges,, buzz would indeed be charged with domestic battery.. having taken a step back, hank was able to see that what gil had said was true,, he was too emotionally involved with both the victim and the predator in this case to see to it that proper procedure was followed to the letter..

‘the predator..’ hank formed the word with his mouth,, but seeing as how he had always respected buzz, if only as a brother in arms,, even now he could not bring himself to say it aloud. there was no way of avoiding the fact that buzz had always been a predator. in fact it was exactly that inborn predatory nature that had made him such a good cop.. no,, a great cop.. buzzes arrest and conviction rates had proved that time and time again.. his ability get inside of the perps head in order to bring closure to a number of high profile cases had sealed the deal,, not only within the department,, but also in the eyes of the people of new albany..

hank had to keep reminding himself to focus on the situation at hand.. it wasn’t easy though because he couldn’t stop thinking about jeannie.. not only how he much he resented buzz for causing her so much pain and anguish over the course of their life together,, but how he hadn’t even allowed her death the dignity it deserved,, by not only maintaining,, but flaunting his relationship with this idiot piece of ass, trudy hunt.. the same woman he was fucking around with while jeannie struggled alone with her terminal diagnosis..

hank remained indignant over buzzes relationship with this trudy broad.  truth be told he would have liked the opportunity to smack a little sense onto her himself,, but that did not, or should not overshadow the fact that a crime had been committed here,, and even though trudy was unwilling to formally press charges,, once buzz was located and taken into custody,, the state would pick up the case..  it was mandatory  in all cases where physical injury was evident in a domestic dispute,, one of them was going to jail.. and in this case,, it was going to be buzz…

as in the distance, the sound of sirens filled the cold night air, hank moved back toward buzzes abandoned car as he knew trudy was gonna put up a fight when the female officer informed her that despite her unwillingness to file the necessary charges,, the case would continue to be prosecuted by the state.

as he approached, he motioned for gil to step away from trudy,, so he could update him on what was about to take place.. even though gill was still a little bit fired up about what he saw as hanks personal vendetta against buzz,, he nodded in agreement when hank informed him that it would be safer for both of them to allow an impartial female officer to write up the case,, as well as follow up with trudy during her trip to the hospital..

as the patrol car and the EMT’s pulled up on the scene,, trudy became visibly incensed..

“what the hell are they doing here?? i told you i am not filing charges!!! i don’t need no lady cop trying to push me into something you both know i have already refused to do!! you guys know me, and you’re supposed to be buzzes friends!! how dare you involve some uncalled for uniform in our personal business!!”

“take it easy there trudy, “ gill spoke in a soft comforting monotone.. “we do know you,, and we are buzzes friends,, but we're homicide,, and since there is no homicide involved in this case, we need to follow departmental procedure and let the case be documented by the first responders,, who in this case just happen to be officer nelson here and the EMT’s..”

“i don’t need no EMT’s.. i am fine!! i am not going to any hospital,, and i sure as hell am not discussing anything with this, this,, beat cop!!” trudy screamed at the across the parking lot as she retreated to buzzes car..

as officer nelson came to realize that the victim she had come to document was none other than ‘the trudy hunt’,, she could be overheard calling for backup.. trudy’s reputation with the department,, long preceded her,, and officer nelson was not so naive to think that she had what it was gonna take to subdue this already combative victim alone..

before the required back up even arrived,, trudy had locked herself in the car,, from which, and true to form, she could be heard blasting everyone within earshot with vile obscenities..

“we’ll wait till you get some reinforcement,, and then we gotta take off.. one of our own, detective buzz miller is the perp in this case,, and he is still at large.. we’d like to be the unit to intercept him as we think he will take more kindly to being transported  by us because we have all worked as a team for so many years.. at least we hope so..” hank informed officer nelson,, and the EMT’s who were all impatiently aware that they were essentially on hold till back up arrived..

“sorry to dump this one on you guys, as we both know firsthand how hard it is gonna be to reel this one in,, but we got bigger fish to try and keep out of the frying pan at the moment..” gil added regretfully.

“don’t worry about it,” officer nelson said reassuringly. “we got this.. just another night on the job..”

when at last back up arrived on scene,, both gil and hank were happy to see the responders to officer nelsons call for back up were a couple of buff young officers who had both been on the job long enough to be pissed off at the world,, and know better than to show any mercy..

as hank and gill said their goodbyes and loaded into the crown vic,, intent on finding buzz before any street patrol did, gil said, “thank god that one is out of our hands..”

“god damn right!” hank agreed emphatically, as he put the petal to the metal and took off in the direction of the seedy underbelly of new albany that they both knew lay just on the other side of the heavily wooded area trudy had informed them that buzz had last been seen disappearing into…

Chapter 210

word count 1070

Buzz was a broken man. He emerged from the woods onto a back road and walked for miles without seeing a single house or another person. It was a good thing. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he traveled. And his mind was a mess.

The scene played over and over in his head. His fist slamming Trudy's jaw. The crunch and crush sounded again in ears. That pitiful look on her face. The satisfying feeling from the all-consuming rage that took him over, propelling his fist, causing him to revel in her pain and celebrate the grand release. Other memories came, too. The hundreds of times he smacked around his late wife, Jeannie. That same expression on her face...terror, cowering weakness, pain. The thud of his fist, the screams. He shook his head to chase away the thoughts. What was he? Some kind of animal? Why did striking out like that seem to complete him?

He was one sick puppy, that was for sure.

He saw civilization looming on his trek. The road he walked on arrived on the edge of New Albany in the scummy, red light district. Junkies slept on the corners and prostitutes roamed the streets. After dark, the streets came alive with the same such human vermin. The stink of filth and neglect filled his nostrils carried in grime and road dust. It sickened him. This was about all he deserved. He stopped in the first liquor store he saw. There was one on every corner in this part of town, more common than street lights.

The proprietor, a fat man with a dour expression, looked him over with one eyebrow cocked. Okay, so he wasn't the usual specimen of a customer...yet.

He bought a bottle of Jack Daniels and exited, leaning against the nearest wall. As he took a slug, his back slid down until he slumped on the ground, squatting against the wall supported by his long legs in a crouched position. Yes, this was where he belonged. He was a wanted criminal. He assaulted a woman. It was only a matter of time before Trudy went to the police and pressed charges. He felt his face. It itched. His five o'clock shadow scratched like sand paper against his fingers. Grime had already gathered on his jeans. He was on his way to derelict-ville.

“Yep, that's me. Buzz Miller, your local scuzz bag,” he murmured, hoisting a toast to himself with the bottle of JD.

* * *
It was getting dark and Buzz still hadn't come back. Trudy snuggled up tighter in his jacket and wiped some steam off the window with the palm of her hand. She looked in all directions. No luck. She wanted to see him, be close to him. The bruise on her cheek burned. She laid her hand on it and felt its warmth. She felt branded, marked as his, close to him albeit in an unexpected fashion. They had shared an intense moment, where she saw a side of him most people didn't get to see. All holds barred. A secret of sorts. Now that she'd cooled down, she didn't see it as a bad thing. She knew he had a temper problem. God knows she understood that. She'd irritated him; she knew that. And so he couldn't help what he did. It was her fault, really. Now she wanted him near. Wanted to make love. He loomed powerful, strong in her thoughts. He was hers now, and she was his. Totally. They'd shared a moment that bonded. She wanted now him to secure that position in his heart.

A tapping on the window made her jump. She rubbed away steam and saw Gil's face looking in. Dear Gil, he'd always have a special place in her heart. They'd shared some passionate moments which would never be forgotten. But now, he looked at her with a troubled expression. She pried open the car door and stepped out.

“What the hell happened here?” he asked, hands in his pockets as if he were afraid to touch her.

She gave him a peck on the cheek. Moonlight always brought out her sense of romance. “Buzz and I had a little fight and he ran off into those woods.” She pointed across the road. “I'm waitin' for him.”

“He crossed the freakin' highway? It's a wonder he didn't get killed? How long ago was this?”

“I don't know. Around 3:00, I guess.”

Hank came striding across the DQ parking lot with long, hurried steps. “No one inside knows anything about Elliot or the religious guys. It was hours ago, I'm guessing.”

Gil nodded and paused to think. He eyes wandered to Trudy and he spied the bruises. He stiffened, then grabbed her face in his hands. “My Gawd, Trudy. What did he do to you?”

“It was nuttin,” she stammered. “We just had a little tiff, that's all.”

“A little tiff? Your face is practically black and blue.” Hank had stepped forward to study her bruises. She saw his eyes swimming in depths of pain as though he were seeing more than what was there. His lips were stiffened into a tight, thin line. He stepped back, murmuring, “The son of a bitch.”

“I'm putting out an APB, and I'm calling the medics for you,” Gil said, grabbing his phone from his pocket. He paused. “Are you going to want to press charges, Trudy?” Half of him felt she should, and half of him didn't. Buzz was still his boss, and he hated to see his career wrecked. But Gil was still a cop, and a crime had been committed.

“You should press charges,” Hank said, his face grim. He held Trudy in his gaze like with a steel clamp.

Gil looked at him in alarm. He had condemned Buzz with no hesitation.

“I'm not pressing charges. I love him,” Trudy said.

“Are you kidding me?” Hank blurted out. “That bastard has got to be taken off the streets. He brutalizes women.”

“Hey, you're out of line!” Gil interjected. “I'm thinking maybe you're a little too close emotionally to this case.”

“What? And you're not?”

Trudy stepped forward. “It doesn't matter because I'm not going to cross Buzz. No charges. We'll get him back and everything will be like it always was.”

With that new police commissioner gunning for him, I think not, Gil thought.

chapter 209

word count: 1435

hank was still visiting with stephanie when the call came in.. it was lisa.. according to elliot,, buzz miller had lambasted trudy in the parking lot of the dairy queen,, and then took off running through the woods on the opposite side of the highway.. some very nice, although slightly disheveled morman youth missionaries had seen to it that elliot got home safely on the bus,, and they collaborated elliot's story..

“daddy,, the truth of the matter is we are scared,, and we feel as if we have good reason to be.. nothing good has ever come out of either of their explosive tempers,, and very simply,, we have no way of knowing if one or both of them will come banging on the door at any minute demanding to see the boys..” whispered lisa as she tried to hold back her tears in front of the boys.

“ya did the right thing, honey.. calling me was the right thing to do.. now you just sit tight.. do not open  the door to anyone but me or gil.. give me a minute to track him down,, and then we will handle this.. just stay calm ok?? you know i would never let anything happen to you, john, or any of the boys..” he comforted her before he said, “i love you baby..” and clicked off the call.. 

“what’s up??” stephanie inquired as she could tell by the pained look on hanks face that something had gone terribly wrong..

“family problem.. that was my daughter lisa.. i hate to do this honey,, but i am gonna have to cut this visit short..” hank said as he stood up and kissed stephanie on the forehead..

“no worries,, i’ll be fine here.. just please give me a call later and let me know if you’re alright and whether or not you  were able to iron everything out.”

“you’re the best!!” hank exclaimed, truly relived that stephanie had taken the news so well. he leaned in yet again and gave he a long kiss on the lips..

“hey!! stephanie called out to hank as he made his way toward the door. “i love you!!”

“love you too!!”  hank responded,, although in his mind he was already planning what he was gonna say to gil.. after all tonight was supposed to be his big night with tori..

as soon as hank hit the automatic doors the front entrance to the hospital,, he speed dialed gil.. no answer. the call went directly to voicemail..

“fuck!!” hank exclaimed out loud,, realizing that if gil was not answering he had probably already set the gil machine in motion,, and as was his usual,, he had turned the ringer on his phone off..

as soon as the recorded message finished, hank barked into the phone, “gil.. it’s urgent.. i need to stop whatever it is you are doing and call me back, pronto!!”

not really expecting a return call from gil anytime soon,, he threw the red bubble light on the top of the car and gunned it out of the parking lot.. first stop, lisa’s.. he had to get the whole story first hand before the manhunt could begin.. manhunt.. what an unpleasant word to have to use when referring to a comrade in arms.  but when that comrade was buzz miller,, and knowing as he did that buzz knew this could very well be the crippling end to an otherwise star studded career,, a manhunt it would be..

***

with elliot having disappeared from the dairy queen while she was playing out her anger and resentment toward buzz in the parking lot,, and buzz off traipsing in the now dark woods,, trudy was forced to survey her options.. she could hop back in the car and wait for buzz to work out his little tantrum on his own,, or catch a ride out of here.. but even if she did where would she go??

home?? to an empty apartment she had not actually lived in or paid the rent on in months?? no,, too risky.. she was bound to run into the landlord and that was just not a bridge she wanted to cross right this moment..  then there was buzzes house,,  where she would no doubt have to face the overbearing presence of mrs. dunn, that dreadful woman who would surely take buzzes side and berate her over inciting him to anger yet again??

she decided the best thing she could do was get back in the car and wait for buzz. after all it was getting cold out here,, and he had to come back sometime,, he couldn’t just leave the police issue crown vic in the parking lot of the dairy queen, could he?? surely when he did return to the car he will have simmered down,, and then as was their usual they would go home to his house together and work out their differences horizontally..

trudy got back in the car,, grabbed buzzes overcoat out of the back seat and covered herself.. she then laid her head back intent on nodding off for a few,, at least it would make the time pass quicker while she waited for buzz to come back.. and had it not been for the painful throbbing in her cheek and jaw,, it would have been a perfect plan..

***

as soon as hank entered lisa’s apartment he was greeted by not only john, lisa and the boys,, but also the two mormans that had made it possible for the new albany police department to secure the diana diamond..

“well,, you two sure get around!!” hank greeted them a bit uneasily.. there was right in between little and no room for coincidence in hanks by the book mind,, and therefore he was more than curious as to what part the missionaries had played in the events that unfolded earlier in the night at the dairy queen..

“i guess so, detective bowers,” jacob piped up equally as puzzled as to how the evenings events brought them right back to the same detective that had them arrested and interrogated earlier in the day..

“you guys know my dad??” lisa asked, “how in the world??”

“yeah i guess you could say we know each other.” hank responded. “these guys were key in helping us secure a very important piece of evidence today.”

“these young men are the good samaritans that brought our elliot home safely..” john chimed in. “they are on their way to do some missionary work,, and since their original plans were derailed they needed a good meal and a place to stay for the night,, so we invited them to spend the evening here with us , in appreciation for all they did to remove elliot from the disgraceful drama his mother and detective miller were involved in in the parking lot of the dairy queen..”

“well then,, come on in boys have a seat.. i wanna hear what you saw and heard tonight as well,, every little detail will help me paint a more accurate picture of what actually went down..”

“sure detective,” enos said as he slipped into  a cross legged position  on the floor,, with jacob quickly sitting down beside him in the same fashion. “anything we can do to help..”

hank had just pulled his spiral notebook out of his overcoat, when his phone rang.. he quickly checked the display.. it was the gil machine!! thank god!!

“excuse me, hank said as he jumped up and headed for the kitchen, “i gotta take this..”

“gil!! thank god!! i really didn’t expect to hear from you because of, well, you know…” hank paused to breath an audible sigh of relief.. “i hate to do this to ya buddy,, but it’s buzz again.. and i wanna keep the lid on it till we have all the facts.. unfortunately,, we are gonna have to find him first..”

“find him?” queried gil,, not at all sure what to make of the situation,, but quickly realizing this was going to greatly interfere with his plans to thoroughly violate tori all night long..

“yeah,, looks like the went off on trudy hunt in the parking lot of the dairy queen,, right in front of her kid,, and you’re  gonna love this,, the same two mormon’s we pulled in earlier today, you know the ones that lead us to the diana diamond..”

“what the fuck??” gil was growing increasingly confused.. and that confusion caused him to lose his concentration and with it, his hard on,, leaving an even more confused tori,, kneeling in all her glorious nakedness between his thighs,, with a puzzled look in her eyes and his ever shrinking manhood in her between her lips….

Chapter 208

word count 1014

“That damned kid! When I see him, I'm gonna kill him! Jumpin' out the bathroom window to get away from me. We'll see about that!” Trudy looked ready to blow her top.

“Cut him a break. You can be pretty scary...even to me sometimes.” Buzz tried to offer humor but a glance at Trudy revealed it hadn't worked. She fidgeted in the seat, red-faced, wringing her hands. Looking at her, upset Buzz. Suddenly the temperature in the Crown Vic seemed to skyrocket. Sweat on the back of his neck cooled the skin, but hot air still assaulted his face.

Why in the hell did he put up with her? It was like living with a time bomb that you knew was scheduled to blow, but you didn't know when.

“I'm gonna kill him! I'm really gonna kill him!”

Buzz stiffened at her words. He thought about Adam and how he missed him...and how the boy now wanted nothing to do him. It was a pain so deep he found it indescribable in never having felt its full force, because he kept it in constant denial. But it bubbled to the surface at times like this when people didn't appreciate their own kids. Watching, he felt like killing people like that, as if it would relieve his own feelings of torment. The ache was uncontrollable. It was a kind of pain he didn't understand never having experienced it totally. And he had no idea how to deal with it. Right now, it was eating away at him like a hungry bear. The more Trudy fussed, the worse it got.

All that, and then there was the strain of dealing with the volatility of Trudy herself. He was so tired of chasing after her to keep the crazed woman under control. It was like trying to keep up with a sugar-infused two-year-old, the bratty kind who talked back. It was taking a toll on him. And the truth be told, he wasn't known for placating women. Far from it.

“There's the Dairy Queen! Wait until I get my hands on him!” Her face flushed red as a tomato and her hands clenched.

“Trudy, calm down.” He couldn't let her near the boy in this state.

“Oh, YOU calm down. I'm sick and tired of ya pushing me around. Everyone treats me like a goddamn baby.”

“Maybe that's because you act like a baby.” His fingers pounded the steering wheel as he made the turn into the DQ parking lot. He seethed.

“Don't talk to me like that. Like you have room to talk when it comes to having adoring children. When was the last time Adam gave you the time of day?"

His ears sizzled hearing the remark while his heart nose-dived deep inside to slam against that painful spot he fought to avoid every day. He was a failure as a father, and Trudy and everyone knew it. Worst of all, he might be no better than her. The realization exploded and fired up like a nuclear cloud of angst. Slamming his fist on the dash, he turned to glare at Trudy. She reacted.

The expression on her face gave him extreme satisfaction. Just the way he liked it before he plunged. Her eyes were tiny, shrunken in fear, and her cheeks went pale before his eyes. Her hands trembled.

He gave her only a split-second glance, one to assure him the situation was ripe. He gathered the horrific pain that had sprung up, thanks to her, and used its tremendous force to slam his fist into Trudy's face. She earned it.

At first, she was motionless as though in shock. She raised a shaky hand to catch blood dripping from her nose as a red fist mark formed on the side of her face. She looked at him like a hurt puppy, then jerked and reached for the door handle, bolting from the car.

He looked at her in dismay, regretting his loss of control, pumping his fist in the other hand, trying to put together the pieces of what he'd done. That was when he spotted Elliot in the restaurant doorway. He was standing with two strange men in religious clothes.

She followed his gaze to see, too. And then Trudy started again. Coming out of her daze, she started screaming. At first it was a howl, like a wild animal. But then, the words became clearer, punctuated by arms waving and foot stomping. A typical Trudy tantrum.

“Buzz Miller, I hope you drop dead. I never want to see you again. EVER.”

Seeing Elliot, so like his Adam, emotions zigzagged and juxtaposed in his head like a kaleidoscope gone wild. He didn't know what to respond to first. And then, he knew. The overwhelming emotion eating at him was shame, with defeat racing into second place. He'd slammed Trudy, failed to control his anger again. It was hopeless. A dark cloud moved in and smothered him...then propelled him with bolts of anxiety. He had to get away, from Trudy, his job, everything. He got out of the car and slammed the door. Trudy was still at it, screaming. When he got out, she headed his way. But he would have none of it. He made his way to the edge of the highway and picked his way across, dodging cars. His eyes were full of tears. Once when a car came close, he reached for his gun, realizing he was no longer allowed to carry a gun. He made it to the other side and disappeared in a woodsy area along the road.

“Hmmph, he walked off.” Trudy stood with hands on hips, puzzling with the problem. Then she remembered Elly and turned on her heel to look toward the Dairy Queen. But Elliot was no longer in the doorway.

* * *

“Thanks for letting me stay with you,” Elliot said.

“Well, if that crazy woman was your mother, it's better you stick with us,” Jacob said. “Now where does your father live? We'll get you home.”

chapter 207

word count: 1177

when the doorbell rang,, john stepped up to answer it.. he and lisa had already decided to be genial with buzz and trudy,, but to shy away from making anything but small talk with them.. after all the purpose of the visit was for trudy and buzz to meet with their respective boys,, and even though collectively they thought such a meeting would be counterproductive to the cohesiveness of their new-found family as a whole,, they agreed that as their natural parents,, they deserved visitation,, supervised though it may be.

“detective miller!!” john greeted buzz warmly with an outstretched hand.. which buzz grabbed and shook firmly..

“trudy.” john more or less fumbled over her name,, but masked it quite elegantly by ushering them into the living room and offering them a seat on the sofa..

lisa who was seated in a wing chair just across the room stood up and offered a quick welcoming greeting as she excused herself to go upstairs and get the boys.. as she ascended the stairwell,, the sound of the boys running out to meet her on the landing was followed by some barely audible whispering,, that john attempted to cover up with small talk.

“so,, detective miller,,” he started, as he smiled widely at buzz,, intentionally not meeting eyes with trudy.. “if the news is any indicator,, you have been one busy man as of late!!”

“please," buzz interjected,, “just call me buzz..”

“well then buzz it is.. buzz and trudy.. kinda has a nice ring to it.”

“cut the crap john.” trudy said with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “i came here to see my elly,, not make small talk with you..”

buzz grabbed trudy’s hand and held it tight.. he hoped this simple show of affection would keep her leveled off.. the last thing they needed was trudy to go into attack mode.. not now.. not here.. not the first time either of them had seen their boys in what seemed like an eternity..

buzz tried to diffuse the tension that had quickly built up in the air between trudy and john by changing the subject,, “you were absolutely right when you said the job has been a whirlwind lately,, but i realize that is no excuse for why i haven’t made more time for adam.. why just this morning trudy and i were discussing….”

before buzz could finish his thought,, lisa, adam and erik came rumbling down the stairs.. “he’s gone!!” lisa exclaimed in a panic.. “elliot is gone!!”

trudy jumped to her feet. “wadda ya mean he’s gone??” she shrieked as she took two intimidating leaps toward lisa,, causing both adam and erik to duck behind lisa’s small frame in hopes that she would be able to protect them from trudy’s wrath,, after all,, they had heard more than enough stories from elliot to know that when she went on the warpath the best thing to do was seek cover..

“trudy!!” buzz barked as he stood up and grabbed her around the waist before she could further advance on lisa and the boys.. “sit!!”

john, too, jumped to his feet.. “now let’s just all sit down and give lisa and the boys a chance to explain what’s going on here.. no need to jump to conclusions until we have heard the whole story..”

“he’s right.” buzz admonished trudy as he guided her back to the sofa,, very much against her will..

lisa took a seat in her wing chair,, as each of the boys knelt down at her feet,, and waited patiently while buzz spoke in low tones,, eventually calming trudy down to the point that lisa felt it was safe to continue..

“well,, i believe i can assume the majority of the blame here,,” lisa said apologetically, “you see,, when you called and said you wanted to come and see elliot,, i didn’t just want to wait and spring the visit on him when you arrived,, so i told him you wanted to see him,, that you were anxious to see him,, in hopes that it would give him the time he needed to prepare himself for such a visit..”

“what the hell do you mean prepare for such a visit??” trudy bellowed. “he’s my kid!! what the hell is there to prepare for?? just because we haven’t seen each other in a while doesn’t mean i’m not still his mother!!”

at this point john felt he had to go out on a limb and step in.. “trudy,, look at yourself!! this is precisely why we decided it was better to tell elliot beforehand,, to allow him to mentally prepare himself to see you!! you are and always have been unpredictable to say the least,, and lisa and i have done our best to provide the boys with a stable homelike atmosphere,, one that is not punctuated with physical and or verbal abuse of any kind!!!”

buzz grasped trudy’s arm so firmly that it was possible he would leave a huge purple hand print on her pale white skin.. she opened her mouth to defend herself from what she perceived as johns personal attack on her,, but screamed out, “ouch!! let go!! you’re hurting me!!” instead..

buzz,, ignoring her tantrum,, turned his gaze to lisa, and said, “please lisa,, continue..”

“ok, “ lisa responded calmly, “it seems as though,, after i informed elliot of your visit,, and i was under the impression he had gone upstairs to join the boys playing video games,, he evidently took the opportunity to jump out the bathroom window instead..”

“you let my kid jump out the freaking bathroom window!!” trudy shouted,, no longer even feeling the vice like grip buzz had on her arm..

buzz took this opportunity to stand up, and yank trudy into a standing position by his side.. “i think it is in everyone’s best interest if we take off.. i’m gonna get an APB out on elliot as soon as i get to the car,, and check a few places he’s been known to gravitate toward in the past..”

as they approached the door,, buzz turned, and looked at adam apologetically.. “i’m sorry about all of this little man,, i really did want to spend some time with you.. and we will.. we’ll do it soon, i promise..”

adam didn’t answer,, nor did he make a move from lisa’s side.. had buzz allowed himself to concentrate on the picture of his only sons reluctance to even acknowledge him,, it just might have touched his heart.. but he didn’t. he couldn’t.. once again his world was consumed with restraining trudy..

as he dragged her off kicking and swearing to the car, he couldn’t help but wonder why he put himself through this.. what was it about this woman had that kept him wrapped so tight??

once he had trudy safely corralled in the car,, he called dispatch and had them issue the APB before he took off for what he knew to be one of elliot’s favorite ‘safe’ places.. the dairy queen..