Run Danny Run (Chap. 10)

CHAPTER TEN

A Truro Police car arrived shortly after the call came into the station. "Around 1 AM. Mrs. Larkin said she had seen a light come on next door," Officer Tufts said to his partner. "Apparently she's the party responsible for keeping an eye on the house. You know---pick up the mail, feed the cat---that sort of thing."

            Lately other occurrences had been happening in the Victoria Park area. This time last year there was a fire at the Kinsman food booth. They couldn't take a chance some prowler or arsonist was hanging around. It was their duty "To Serve and Protect," and when the call came in to the dispatcher, a quick visit by the constables was in order.

            The Reynolds’s had also previously notified Police Services before leaving for their holidays. "Smart thinking," the officers had agreed as they raced to the premises.

            Officer Tufts was anxious to use their new secret weapon. Shep, a two-year old Police dog, was a reliable ‘sniffer’ now attached to their Canine Services Division. If any unwanted guests were here, he'd flush them out. The dog was definitely a potent addition to their arsenal against crime.

            Mrs. Larkin was waiting in the driveway and nervously unlocked the Reynolds’s front door. Then Shep eagerly entered the supposedly empty premises. It was the practice of the enforcement agency to allow the dog into the home first. One officer waited outside as backup while the other paused a few minutes, before following Shep into the house.

*

Danny found a topographical map on top of a pile of papers in the living room. Scattered about were other brochures on Cape Breton and New Brunswick. And left behind on the kitchen table was a Nova Scotia road map.

            An orange highlighter marker outlined a highway journey. It led from Truro to Bass River, then turned north on a secondary road to Economy Lake. This was a great find and confirmed what the paperboy had said. The map pointed to the family’s destination, and what might be their camping spot on the western side of Economy Lake.

Danny calculated it should be no problem hitching rides that far, since it looked to be only about 50 miles west of Truro. A piece of cake he thought, since he had just come an easy 100 miles from Lunenburg.

            Arriving here had seemed too simple. While standing at the side of the road he had tried looking serious sometimes, then happy. You had to pick a variety of faces. There was no telling what demeanor would convince any driver to stop. Three “hitch-hikes” later, he was on the outskirts of Truro. His last ride passed exit #13 then let him get off at #14 right beside the Comfort Inn.

            Good thing the driver pulled off here the boy thought, otherwise he would have kept going all the way to Amherst.

            Now he formulated new traveling plans, this time towards Economy Lake. His breakfast included half a dozen toasts with molasses and a can of peaches. Drinking the sweet juice reminded him of the time he received a week's grounding for snatching a can of peaches. He couldn't even remember which foster home, there had been so many.

            In a way it was exciting to be on the trail of his father. Danny walked the whole house from top to bottom, hoping to find anything useful. He was to find the small flashlight in the kitchen drawer. Had to be careful not to allow a flash to be seen from outside. He learned that at the Detention Center in London, Ontario. Cup the end with one hand, fingers controlling how much light escaped.

            Danny checked out each child's room, library, letters from friends and the types of clothes they wore. He packed a couple of Walt 's shirts and a jacket, since they were about the same size. He knew the boy was 11 from a recent Birthday card and that Susan was almost seven. An unfinished letter from Anne Reynolds to Roy explained the other boy in the family picture.

            Amazing what you could learn about a family from snooping around their house.

            He was thorough. Nothing escaped his careful searching. Finally his packsack was organized and ready. He was rested and anxious to be off. Five o'clock was early enough before most people were up. Time to slip out the back door and fade away between the houses.

            Then he could walk to the highway just outside of town and hitch a ride. The turnoff at Bass River would only be a short distance to the gravel road heading to Economy Lake. Those ten kilometers should be a breeze and he was eager to begin.

            Tucked into his pocket was the letter never delivered to the dad he had never met. The letter was returned, address unknown. Danny had mailed it to the address where mom said his dad lived in northern Ontario. Guess he moved by that time. It was a simple letter with caring words, and at the time meant to link up with the father he never met.

Now the boy knew where the man lived. And, where he had gone camping with his family. They were strangers who had stolen his father.

            The words Danny wrote years ago still sent a shiver through him. Pages from the past stirred up an angry feeling. When the boy was younger, he cried a lot for his father. Now it was going to be "payback-time." He wanted to make everyone sorry for all the bad times he had. He was going to meet his father on his terms, and not anyone else. Taking off from Lunenburg now made sense to him.

            Last night as he lay half asleep on Walt's bed, Danny read his letter once more.

*

Everyone was playing RISK at the campsite when the cell phone rang. To hear Walt whine if he wasn’t winning made you think it was a real game of war. The interruption was welcomed. Now no one had to endure his ragging.

            “Ringgg...ringgg..._ing.”

            “Not fair, just ‘cause I’m winning,” Walt said.

            “Don’t brag too much, the game’s not over yet.” Anne had a way of bringing children back to reality.

            “Susan, wait until dad finishes with the phone before taking your turn. Okay?” Walt asked.

            The look Anne gave Larry was not very positive. They both knew only an emergency situation would allow this call to be made. It was the agreement they had with Mrs. Larkin, or the Police.

            “Must be about Danny,” he whispered in her ear as he rushed for the phone in the trailer. Suddenly the game wasn’t very important. He scooted the short distance from the dining room tent.

            “Do you think it could be about Danny, mom? Someone tell him we’re here?”

            “No Susan, he doesn’t have our number.”

            ‘”Probably the cops,” Walt butted in. He had a habit of wanting to make sure everyone knew he was around. And he wasn’t shy to state his opinion. “I’m psychic, you know.”

            “Policemen, Walt. ‘Cops’ is rather rude.”

            “Mom, all the kids at school---“

            “I don’t care what the kids at school say.”

            “Sorry.”

            “Accepted, son.” 

            They could hear their father’s first words, as they traveled furiously across this peaceful place. “What the hell is going on!” he shouted.      

            Abandoning the Risk game, everyone rushed over to find out what was happening. It certainly didn’t sound like good news.

*

At first Mrs. Larkin was nervous when the police arrived. She didn’t wish to be a bother, especially with them so busy in their work. She hoped the Police didn’t think she was imagining things. She had considered it an honor to be asked by the Reynolds’s to keep an eye on their house.

            It wasn't often she had taken to newcomers so quickly. They were a lovely couple. And they had two such mannerly children too. In fact it wasn't her usual habit to volunteer to help anyone these days, what with so much crime about. And now to think someone had maybe broken into these nice people's home.

What was the world coming to, anyways?

*

Now it was Larry’s turn to be disturbed by the news.

            "Your neighbor, Mrs. Larkin phoned us this morning. It seems an intruder spent last night in the house---" continued Sergeant Mont from the Truro Police.

            "---but nothing was taken or damaged, except for some food. And a family picture was smashed against the far wall in the living room. I have no idea why."

            At the other end of the phone, Larry had good reason to wonder why. It was obvious Danny had found them. "Officer, you should speak with my Social Service's office in Truro. Ask for my supervisor, Mr. Maitland. Also please have him contact the CAS in Lunenburg. I think I know who did this."

            Mrs. Larkin listened to the conversation on the other end and noticed her knuckles finally regain their pinkish tint of skin. She had squeezed them so tightly they were almost like two clumps of ice. She was sitting on a chair in the kitchen with JC in her lap.

            In the excitement of the moment, no one seeped to be listening to her, except the cat purring away, fascinated with all the activity. 

            "The Reynolds’s left me in charge. I'm supposed to watch out for their cat, JC. Well, feed her, you know." It was a conversation she had already repeated several times to the police.

            Sergeant Mont continued on the phone, "Yes, Shep from our Canine Unit discovered your old cat all too well. She gave the dog a clout on the nose before disappearing under the bed. She seems settled down now."

            "Poor thing," Mrs. Larkin continued. She was pleased to be a comfort to JC. And the old cat continued her purring.

"Yes, she seems fine now," the officer said. "We'll keep you informed of any news or clues after we get back to the office and make our report. You should come down ASAP and check for any missing items. Probably call your Insurance people.”

Turning to Mrs. Larkin, the policeman said, "We have sort of a new agreement, ma'am. The Police are going to place a watch on this house, since it's now part of a crime scene. Also just in case the intruder returns."

            "Do you think they'll come back?" Mrs. Larkin shrieked.

            "Just a precaution, madam."

            "Thank you for coming so soon officer. You know where I'll be, if you need me. Now I'm going to bring this beautiful cat to my house. You can tell that nice Mr. Reynolds before you hang up. Come with me JC old girl, and we'll look after you."  

            "And thank you for calling," both officers said before she left.

Then Sergeant Mont spoke quietly into the phone, "Curious about that message scotch-taped to the fridge door. We're not sure what to make of it. It’s on the same bond paper from your office. Say, this boy's not dangerous, is he?"

            "What message?" Larry asked. His voice sounded tired and discouraged from about thirty miles away.

            "I found you," Officer Tufts said into the phone. And it was signed, "Payback."   

*

In the meantime phone lines were burning up between Truro, London and Lunenburg. How could a fourteen-year old boy be on the loose, with a .22 rifle in his possession?

            What was more perplexing was the fact Danny had not been sent to the Youth Assessment Center in Truro. A judge had allowed the boy to be kept in a foster home, instead of being incarcerated at the secured facility.

            Now the scene shifted to the Lunenburg CAS office. Executive Director, Mr. Ross Allen and his senior Casework Supervisor, Mrs. Dorothy Melon sat facing each other. A stack of files lay on the desk between them.

            "How did this all happen?" Mr. Allen asked. He was not happy, not at all. “It should have been foreseen,” the man continued. “The boy was obviously experiencing some deep resentments and no one noticed?”  

            "Well, let's get back to this letter. It's a copy," Mrs. Melon said. "Danny insisted we give him back the original." Pulling it out of the file, she read:

            Dear Dad,

Hi Dad, I always wanted to meet you. I want to know everything about you. Mom

says I look like you, so you must be pretty handsome. Where do you work now? anyway, how are you? I'm fine I guess my school is okay  I have an 74 avrage (I will need a math tuter) I am in grade 6 now. and my homeroom teacher is Mrs. Bishop, I don't like her very much. I don't have Very many friends, But my best freind is Jerod. He lives next door. We hang around alot and go to his house to play super nintondo (his dad is an achitect and his mom cleans the city hall) so he gets a lot of money. I wish mom had that kind of money. what do you do for fun? I like fancy car models. I put them together. But my Little Bratty sister nadia, ruins them when I leave them 

*

"We don't know where he got the idea about the shoe store. He hadn't seen his mother since she gave him up at two," Mrs. Melon stated.

            "What about the letter? Was it really just a school assignment and that was the topic he picked?" the man asked.

            "Yes, it was quite a shock to his teacher. Mrs. Bishop felt awful, but thankfully had the courage to show it to her principal. They've released it for our files."

            "And who is this sister? I thought there were no other siblings."

            "There are none, sir. This boy, Danny, is known for his imagination. At times any statements of bravado were disregarded."

            "Like threatening to run away?" Mr. Allen asked, disgust showing in his voice. "Maybe we should have taken his statements a little more seriously, now that I've seen his file."

            "Yes sir."