Half an hour later I'm sitting on the sidelines watching the second string running back learn my routes. He's slow and missing his passes but Brett and the rest of the offense are on the field in uniform. I still have my uniform on and I'm waiting to find out when Coach is gonna put me in when my phone goes off, yeah I brought it since I'm not practicing. Jenna is freaking out, Beth has been posting on Facebook that her brother was found and is in the hospital. Well we were all here at practice so that proves it wasn't us. I stop Coach Hayes and run out to Brett who breaks a huddle to listen.
"They found Guy, he's in the hospital," I tell Brett who shrugs," See it wasn't me or anyone on the team. Talk to Coach Hayes and put me back in."
"You mean it wasn't you 'this time'. What about next time," Brett asks me before turning back to the huddle.
"Come on man this is bullshit," I say disgusted with this shit.
"Yeah, too many players on the field and we have a running back out here," Brett tells me.
I'm back on the bench and Coach Hayes is watching me funny, what the fuck! It's not like I did anything for real.
Detective Nancy Escalante: six days after incident
I've interviewed an entire gang, a football team with coaches and one very distraught friend of the victim and still have nothing to go on as to who abducted and quite frankly tortured Guy Donnelly. Everything from the attempted murder he suffered months ago is flooding back into my lap and sadly it is bringing me nothing I can use. Both scenes had no DNA, fingerprints or hard evidence that someone was there except for the bare bones witness statement of the victim himself. I'm looking at the same lack of evidence again, only this time Guy hasn't been deemed fit to give a statement yet thanks to the doctors at the hospital. He was stabbed and talking fine but now he is so screwed up according to them that he has not spoken in nearly a week since he was found. My fellow officers have been helpful but Captain Miller's constant need for updates on the case is beginning to grate on my nerves.
I leave the precinct for lunch and head to the hospital but not to see Guy. I'm waiting outside the emergency room with a bag of burgers and fries hoping to see John, my estranged boyfriend. We've had a tough run of it for six months now and with conflicting schedules things are a little tense. I see him signing something for an orderly when he sees me and hands off the clipboard before coming over.
"Here to see your witness," John asks, pulling his brown hair out of his eyes.
"No, here to see you. I brought lunch," I offer holding up the bag and he smiles.
We sit and eat in his office, I miss him and I hope he misses me. We barely talk except for the basics when he decides to take some initiative.
"So your victim is doing well considering what happened to him," John informs me and I pause.
"I'm not here for him," I reply and John gives me a look," Not right now anyway. I'm here to take a minute."
"So now I'm a diversion from work," John asks before smiling.
"You know what I mean; it's just bad for that kid. He's been picked on for years and then someone tries to kill him. Now a week ago he's been found beaten and covered in blood, I saw the photos and according to his doctor he hasn't said a word since," I explain and John looks like he knows something," What is it?"
"Well first off since you are really here for me, maybe I could help you a little with the songbird," John says and I'm confused.
"What are you talking about," I ask.
"The victim, he hasn't spoken but a couple times now orderlies and nurses have heard him singing. It's quiet but anyone passing his room when nobody is in there with him can hear him singing. Hell I went by to see if it was true, he sings. I can't hear what it is but he's doing it," my boyfriend tells me and now I'm curious.
We finished lunch and I wanted to stay but figured I should head back to the precinct to see if anything new has turned up. I almost got out of the hospital when I almost ran into Mrs. Delauter, Guy's mother.
"Detective, are you here to speak with my son," she asks and I shake my head.
"No Ma'am, I've tried and your husband has informed me that when your son wants to issue a statement he'll let me know," I keep it official but I'm not happy about it.
"Well as his wife I can say that he's just trying to protect my son, but let's go see if my son is ready to speak," Mrs. Delauter says and it's the most civil anyone in the family has been to me since this started.
I leave John for his work day and follow Guy's Mother to the elevator where we quietly move to a different floor of the hospital. It takes a moment for her to check in and clear me to see her son; yes I have to be cleared thanks to the legal might of her husband. Ever see someone and you know they will never be the same? That's what I'm seeing as the bruises even six days out are still fresh on Guy's body; they were so crisp when he was found that you could make out the lines of the straps.
"Guy honey," Mrs. Delauter addresses her son who looks at us both blankly," Detective Escalante is here. We wanted to come by and see you honey."
No response, not a verbal one as Guy looks at his mother, then to me and back to his mother. A blind man could see how hurt she is right now but what worries me is Guy. No response and even the physical reaction is one that says there isn't any real thought going on upstairs. Mrs. Delauter takes a seat next to her son on the bed and begins telling him about her day and their family as I take a chair across from them and listen. He doesn't move, barely reacts and I figure I should say something.
"Mrs. Delauter, please tell me if there is any change. I need to get back to work and try to piece some of this tragedy together, for your family's sake," I say standing up.
"What tragedy," Guy asks looking at me and the world just stopped inside the room.
"Guy you remember what happened to you," I ask and he nods before looking at his mother with a calm I've never seen," I'm in this case, another of your cases but I don't have anything. They were thorough in making evidence difficult at the scene and left me almost nothing to work with. Anything you can tell me about what happened will help me get a better picture of the incident."
"Tragedy… incident… you mean my assault," he asks not angry but like he's clarifying," Let me start by saying I don't know if I have much to add that will help but I remember everything."
Guy Donnelly: day of the hearing on Coach Hayes and Principal Copeland
Today is the day I step up and put people in their place. I finally get a chance to prove that I'm not some target for everyone to attack when they feel bored. Mr. Delauter has our time today set for two in the afternoon and I've missed school, I can afford to, so that I can speak on my behalf. Nobody expected me to make a fuss about this but for once my family isn't just listening but they're fighting alongside me. Mr. Delauter had some work and Mom needed to take care of a few morning things but everyone is set to meet at one pm at the district offices to settle the situation about Brandon and the football team and the wrongful punishment I received for standing up to Copeland. I have been psyching myself up all morning while Beth has picked out what I am to wear when I speak in front of the district board. Biggest thing is to be honest, according to Mr. Delauter, a prepared speech will make it sound like I'm trying to keep things hidden and what I need to win is the truth. I sent a message to Sydney about picking her up so we can ride together and she is excited to talk privately. She even suggests we figure out where to go for dinner to celebrate and I suggest she and her parents come over to my parent's home and everyone having a big celebratory sit down. Sadly and astonishingly she suggested just us going somewhere and having dinner and now I don't know what to do but I agree that we can go somewhere nice, she suggests real, and have a good meal. I might actually get a date with Syd, who knew. I leave about twelve fifteen and head to Syd's parents home to pick her up feeling great about everything when a message comes through to my phone from a number I don't recognize and when I open it I see Syd in her panties with her back to the camera picking up clothes. It's attractive then a second one comes in, Syd again in a bra and panties brushing her teeth in the bathroom. It's interesting until I realize that I can see both her hands in the pictures, no selfies. Begin to speed up when a phone call from the same blocked number comes through and I put it on hands free to talk while I drive.
"Who the hell is this," I ask heading towards Syd's home.
"It doesn't matter Mr. Donnelly," the distorted voice replies," Right now I have someone in your friend's home waiting for her. Right now you have to make a choice,
either you drive to the address I sent you or your friend goes to your place. You have twenty minutes."
Are they serious? They sent me pictures of Syd up close, they're serious. I send Syd a message telling her that I'm running late and she should meet me at the district offices. I don't wait for a reply as I change my route and realize that I have to rush to make the address. Midday traffic isn't what I thought it would be and I arrive at the parking garage and sit in my car waiting for another message when my door is ripped open and something pinches my next, sending fire through my body. I shake a lot and am pulled out of my car by strong hands and a bag goes over my head. I'm forced onto my now covered face and bound by something, I try to struggle but whatever I was hit with took almost everything out of me as the vehicle I'm loaded into drives away from my unlocked and keys in the ignition car. I try to say something about it and to ask them to let me go but it comes out as mumbles thanks to the bag on my face. I don't know how long they are, I assume it's because I hear more than one voice but they stop and I hear big garage doors or something opening before the vehicle moves again and I hear it close behind the vehicle. Everything stops for a moment and I hear Spanish being spoken before a sliding door, must be a van or something opens and I'm pulled out forcefully. I'm forced to walk with my hands bound a distance before they are pulled up over my head and suspended on something forcing me to stand on my toes as the binding pulls on my wrists and hands. Finally I hear my abductors speak still in Spanish and now I begin to panic.
"I have money, I can pay you to stop this right now," I do have money and I have to try to get out of this somehow.
"It's not about money it's about sending a message," I hear one voice tell me before saying something in Spanish to another.
I'm stripped by a knife and two pairs of strong hands while I almost hang from my wrists. I try to keep my clothes on or at least move away but I can't and now I'm naked and cold with a bag over my head and I realize I am not going to make it. I don't know why but I'm shaking as a finger touches a very recent scar.
"I remember sticking to you, you weren't gonna die then but you needed to figure out your place. Then we find out you got money and your family has power, you're just a message now hermano," the voice continues to speak in a heavy accent.
"You don't have to do this," I get that much out as I'm hit with what I can only guess is water.
Not a bucket of water either, someone has a hose and I'm being treated to cold water and lots of it. I was shaking before but now I'm cold and so scared I peed on myself which my captors must have noticed as I can almost hear them talking about it. The water stops and I hear someone moving around me when a pair of hands grabs my bagged head and forces my mouth open before shoving something with the bag in my mouth.
"We don't want you to scream too early hermano, that would be too easy so that should gag you for a while," the Spanish accent tells me as I feel like a rubber ball is in my mouth.