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Chapter Four

-- AJ --

"Give it back!"

"I NEED IT!"

"I NEED IT MORE, PIPSQUEAK!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON?"

I was trying to pack and there was a war erupting in the hallway. I poked my head out of the bedroom.

Joe was holding a roll of toilet paper like a football. Shelby was darting left and right trying to get it from him.

"Why are you two fighting over toilet paper?"

Shelby paused and Joe ducked under her arm and locked himself in the bathroom. I heard the slam of the toilet lid hitting the tank. When Shel straightened up, I realized why they were fighting over the shitter paper.

Shelby was wearing an old sparkly purple shirt, but it was obvious that she had snuck a bra on underneath. The right side of her chest was completely flat. The left side was Pam Anderson.

"What are you doing? Get that stuff out of..." I waved my hand. "there!"

"But, dad you don't understand!"

"What don't I understand?"

"They're not growing!"

"You're eleven!"

Shel reached down and pulled out wad after wad of paper.

"I'm going to grow up and look like a man!" she wailed.

"Are you going to grow a mustache?"

Ally leaned out of her doorway. She had Ro's natural skinny build, dark black hair and brown eyes she hid under a heavy fringe of bang.

"You're not helping!" Shelby said. Ally darted back into her room.

"Shelby, what are you bellowing about?"

Molly had Tristan pressed up to her chest. I saw his little cheeks working fast. His breastfeeding days were running out. Soon he'd have to eat food like the rest of us. My eyes went to the little sliver of skin I could see.

I loved boobs.

Molly looked at the wads of toilet paper. She sighed.

"Honey, what are you doing?"

I left the two to have a mother-daughter chat and ducked back into the room. A pair of boxers, a quick change of clothes and I was done. I checked my phone. I had a text message.

Kev was on his way to pick me up.

Bri, Howie, Kev and I were headed to Key West to look for Aaron. It was the stuff nightmares were made of. He had taken Brooke...

I didn't want to think about life without any of my children.

Even half-boobed Shelby.

---------------------

"Okay, here's the plan. Brian and I will take Key West. J, you'll go with Kev and check the Marquesas Keys and Dry Tortugas."

I glanced over at Kev. I had a feeling Howie split Bri and I up because we were bound to do something stupid if paired together. We weren't near as bad as Bri and Nick or Nick and I, but we were still pretty bad.

The Marquesas Keys form an uninhibited island group west of Key West. It was famous with the locals for containing amazing fishing spots and secluded places for scuba diving. The whole place was overgrown with mangroves.

"He could be hiding out anywhere," I said as we approached the island in our little rented boat. Kev leaned on the wheel.

"I don't know...it just doesn't seem right. I can't imagine Aaron Carter living underneath a tree."

"Kev, he's spent the last few fucking years in jail. I think living under some leaves wouldn't bother him in the least."

Kev docked the boat and we began to walk. After about an hour, I was sweating like a pig. The bugs were so big that I should have just hopped on for an aerial tour of the island.

"I don't think he's here," Kev finally announed a half hour later.

"Why? We've only gone halfway."

Kev held up his cellphone. "There's no phone reception. How would he call Nick?"

He had a point. And I was sick of jumping everytime I saw something flew past my face.

"Moving on?"

Kev nodded.

"Moving on."

We got back in the boat and took off towards the Dry Tortguas. I have to say that in a past life Kev must have been one of those trench coat, cigar chomping, private eyes. He spread out a map of the area and studied it.

"There's two lighthouses," he said slowly. The one on Garden Key is inactive. The one on Loggerhead Key is one of the few things out here with modern technology."

"So...we should check the one on Loggerhead?"

Kev shook his head. "Not necessarily. I think that's the obvious choice."

"So we check the Garden Key lighthouse?"

He shook his head again. "No. I think we need to wait until sunset."

"What?"

Kev sighed impatiently. "Let's just assume that he's using the Loggerhead lighthouse to call Nick. I doubt he'd keep Brooke there. That area isn't as remote. The Garden Key lighthouse is inactivated. It would be a good place to hide."

I blinked. "Remind me to never make you mad. I have a feeling I'd disappear and never be seen again."

Kev cracked a little smile. "I'm just using logic."

"So...if we see Aaron at Loggerhead..."

"We can assume that he's going back and hiding in Garden Key. And if that's the case, we can zoom back to Key West and call the FBI. That way he doesn't see us, freak out, and move on."

I nodded.

"Sounds like a plan."

-----------------------------

The waiting was the hardest part. I was thirsty and hungry. I pissed over the side of the boat about five times. I was pretty sure I was getting sunburned.

"Jesus, don't you sit still?"

"It's nervous energy."

"If I had five kids, I'd be nervous too."

I snorted. "We can't all be boring with two."

"Two is enough. Mason's so moody."

"So's Shelby. And they haven't even hit puberty yet."

We shared a look. It was a scary thought.

Finally, the sun sank below the horizon. Kev and I got off the boat and hunkered down by the lighthouse. I was glad that I was dressed all in black. I wanted to blend in with the surroundings.

Just when I thought our little detective caper had been for nothing, I heard the sound of a boat. I know that Kev wanted to make sure it was Aaron and then go call the cops, but it didn't seem right to let him go. I thought it would work much better if we beat him to a bloody pulp, got Brooke, and booked the hell out of here.

"Don't even think about it," Kev hissed. I turned in surprise. I know I hadn't spoken out loud. He read my mind.

Freaky.

A shadowy figure holding a large sack made its way to the lighthouse door. Just as the hatch opened, a small sliver of light fell over the man.

I saw blonde hair.

"It's him," I whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

"Let's go."

We ran back to the boat. Kev floored it.

"Keep checking your phone. As soon as you have signal, call."

We were almost to shore when my phone came back from the dead. I dialed Nick.

"Hello?"

"Nick, Aaron's hiding out in the Dry Tortugas. I thinking he's bouncing between the lighthouses."

"I---oh shit, he's calling."

Nick disconnected. I listened to the dial tone.

"Well?"

"Aaron's calling."

"That makes sense. It would have taken him awhile to mess with the electronics to use it for a cell phone signal."

We pulled back up to the pier and met up with Bri and Howie. They had come up empty handed. We told them what we had discovered.

"For Nick's sake, let's hope that this is over tonight," Brian said quietly.

I couldn't have agreed more.