Through the simple conversation that Howie and Kevin were making, my mind kept going back to the beach. It's funny but now, my life was split up into two timelines. Before the abduction and after. It's like everything in between just kind of went away, reserved only for my nightmares. Before the abduction, if I had heard about that teen found on the beach, I would shudder only briefly. More concerned about my safety than anything else. Now it was different. I found myself picturing how scared he must have been, how terrified his family was for him. How even now, as I sit in my home looking out the window and laughing with friends, his family was held in the grasp of grief. Their lives would never be normal. Never again. Sure people would make a big deal about it in the news, sure they would be hugged and consoled but eventually, his death would fade away. Long forgotten. Except for his family and friends and my guess is people like me, who had gone through such a traumatic experience.
"What was his name?" I asked, bringing my two friends to halt their conversation.
"What did you say Nick?" I turned towards Kevin, "The boy they found on the beach, what was his name" Kevin had a deep look of sadness in his eyes. Like he was sorry he had brought it up. "Why?" He asked me, lowering his voice to coincide with death.
"Just wondering" I looked towards the beach once again.
"I don't know, I can look it up if you'd like" He said now moving towards the paper that Howie had been reading earlier on.
I moved away from the window and took a seat next to Howie who had his eyes trained on me the whole time, "You okay Nicky?"
"Yeah"
"Okay here it is" Kevin said looking at the paper and walking back towards Nick and Howie, "Um..his name is"
"Was" I corrected him, he looked up at me and frowned, "Was I mean..Thomas Peterson"
"Oh"
"Did you know him Nick?" Howie asked me. I shook my head. "No, but now I do" I turned my attention back to the window. The reporters were still there but many had given up their watch, realizing that I wasn't coming out today.
"Says here that he was a paper boy. He lived in the area and his parents were wealthy business people. He had a big brother Martin who he was very close to" I nodded. "Sorry Thomas" I said under my breath.
Kevin noticing my somber mood put the newspaper down and walked over next to me. Placing his hand on my shoulder he said, "Nick, you're safe. No one is going to hurt you anymore"
My sigh was his only answer. He squeezed my shoulder tighter, "Come on, let's do some work" He said getting me away from the window.
~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*
Joe watched the beach like a hawk. He watched as the police came wrapping the yellow tape around the entrance, he watched as they pulled the body away and he watched as the crowd gathered, from a safe distance. He felt a little bad about killing the boy. He seemed nice enough, but sometimes you had to make some small sacrifices in order to do God's work. He was on a mission. A mission to make things right. He left some lose ends, when he shouldn't have and now God was punishing him. Threatening to kill his sister. That he couldn't let happen.
When he had that boy deliver that note to his sister, he watched as the kid carefully and slowly had moved to the security guard. Prepared to speed away if he saw the security guards gaze shift to his car. Luckily it never did, and the guard took the note and said he would give it to someone who knew how to handle it. There was a good chance it would be thrown out. That was a risk he had to take, but there was also a chance that it could get back to his sister. If it was God's will it would be done.
His eyes shifted from the main beach to the house off in the distance. His house. He found himself smiling. My little lamb, soon. He walked back towards the house but stopped a safe distance away. Stopped and sat down. This part of the beach was not shut off for the public. This part of the beach was safe, he could tell by the friendly banter going on around him. A couple right next to him talking about where to have dinner. Two kids playing in the sand right next to the water. He pulled his hat down over his head. He was a big man, hard to go unnoticed, but people were too wrapped up in themselves to hardly care.
He laid back and shut his eyes, silently praying that things would naturally fall into place.
~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~
They had gotten about two verses and a chorus done before he felt the need to stop for the day. "Guys I think I want to go for a walk" I stood up.
"Where are you going?"
"The beach"
Kevin and Howie looked at each other, "Nick, maybe that's not such a good idea"
"Why not Kev?"
"Because of all the press and the murder"
"You said it was safe" I was quick to point out.
"It is, but Nick.."
"Kevin, I just need to stretch my legs. The beach makes me relax"
"Want company?" Howie asked.
"No, that's okay. I'll be back soon and then we can order a pizza or something okay?" Both men cautiously nodded.
I laced up my sneakers already feeling the warmth and peace of the waves. God I loved the water. I had to come out here, by the time I did, all press was gone. So I didn't have to run. I was ready for it though, hence the running shoes. I walked down to the beach and stared out into the crystal blue water. Hearing the waves crash back and forth, instantly calmed me down.
I walked just a little ways and then plopped down on the sand, wrapping my arms around my legs, I just listened to the crashing of the waves and thought about Thomas and his family and friends. Those thoughts travelled from Thomas to me and MY family and friends. How scared they were. The guys, all of which in addition to me, had started going to therapy. How one little event can cause so much drama was almost funny. I rested my head on my legs picturing how happy my Mom and dad were when they saw me for the first time. She had dropped to her knees and cried. Dad cried too. We thought you were dead they had said. I had too.
I sat up suddenly, my head jerking at a sound. Footsteps. I turned to my right. I felt like I was being watched. I suddenly felt uneasy. Then a tap on the shoulder. I jumped as I turned to my left. Kevin was standing there "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you"
"I told you I didn't need company"
"I didn't believe you" He said sitting down next to me.
Feeling safe again, I returned my head to it's original resting position. I felt his hand on my back as he rubbed it. We sat there in silence, both of us just staring at the waves.
Unaware of a dark figure lurking behind us, with a huge grin on his face. Grasping a Bible in his hands...
