Silt, Denver Cereal Volume 8 (27 page)

“
How do you know?” Heather
asked.

“
I don’t,” Blane said. “I
just know you, and you will not rest until this is worked
out.”

“
Ta! Ta! Ta!” they heard
in the basement.

They stepped back from their hug.

“
Forgot to put the baby
gate back up?” Heather asked.

“
I’ll get him,” Blane
said.

“
I’ll go,” Heather said.
“You can shower. It’s going to be a long night.”

Blane nodded. Heather jogged down the stairs
where her baby boy was jumping at the door knob to the acupuncture
room. She picked him up and went inside.

“
Oh great, you’re awake,”
Heather said. “Do you mind?”

“
Not at all,” Tink
said.

Heather took out Tink’s last few needles and
set Mack on the table.

“
Ta!” Mack
smiled.

“
Mack!” Tink
said.

Heather smiled.

“
Is everything okay?” Tink
asked.

“
It will be.” Heather
smiled. “Are you ready for some dinner?”

“
What are we having?” Tink
asked.

“
I thought you were making
it,” Heather said.

“
Me?” Tink looked so
surprised that Heather laughed.

“
Crockpot soup, homemade
bread, and some cake for dinner,” Heather said. “How’s that
sound?”

“
Great,” Tink said.
“And . . .”

Heather turned to look at her.

“
Thanks,” Tink
nodded.

Heather smiled.

“
Come on,” Heather said.
“We can’t hide in the basement forever.”

Tink picked up Mack and followed her up the
stairs.

~~~~~~~~

Wednesday evening—7:59 p.m.

Aden’s phone buzzed.

“
You can check,” Sandy
smiled over her glass of red wine.

“
I’d rather just be here
in this fairy tale of calm and beauty,” Aden said.

He looked around at the Aspen tree trunks,
which marked the edges of the room. Sandy smiled.

“
Did you notice every eye
was on you when we came in?” he asked.

She smiled. He leaned forward and kissed
her.

“
You should look,” Sandy
said. “Find out what’s waiting for us at home.”

He gave her a slight smile and took out his
Blackberry. He’d received an email.

“
I’m going to freshen up,”
Sandy said.

He nodded and clicked the email icon.

Dear Parents,

I have been informed by
the Denver Police Department that there is a video or possibly a
series of videos being distributed to mainly boys in the Denver
Public School District. These videos depict girls being physically
attacked and violently sexually assaulted by multiple
assailants.

Possession of these videos
is a Federal Crime.

The videos are extremely
violent. These assaults have led to at least one death and long
term health consequences for more than one girl. For your
reference, the youngest girl assaulted was nine years old and the
oldest was sixteen years old.

The Denver Police is
cooperating with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in
this matter. The District Attorney has made it clear that he will
not hesitate to prosecute any individual who has any of these
videos in his or her possession.

The Denver Police have
asked us to ask you to check your child's computer, phone, and
mobile device for this video. Should you find the video, please
contact the Denver Police at (303) XXX-1234. They are willing to
work with any family that voluntarily turns in a device with this
video on it. They will confiscate the device and interview your
child. The devices will be returned to you. The District Attorney's
Office assures me that they will not prosecute the children and
families who voluntarily come forward to assist this
investigation.

Starting tomorrow, the
Denver Police will confiscate any phone, computer, or mobile device
entering our schools. If your child's device contains this video,
you and your child will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the
law. The Denver Police have informed me that they can detect the
video if it has been deleted. Those who have deleted the video will
have the additional charge of obstructing a criminal
investigation.

If your child was
assaulted or knows someone who was assaulted, please contact the
Denver Police as soon as possible. If you or your child has any
information on this matter, please contact the authorities, your
teacher, principal, or counselor.

This is an active police
investigation. Any information will help the police bring these
criminals to justice.

Please join me in
supporting the victims and their families and bringing the
perpetrators to justice.

Thank you for your
help.

Superintendent of
Schools

Denver Public School
District

Aden put his Blackberry in his pocket. Like
every man in the restaurant, he watched Sandy walk back from the
bathroom. The fabric of the dress clung to her full breasts and
round hips. Her step was jaunty and inviting, but her eyes were
focused only on him.

“
What was it?” Sandy
asked.

“
The Superintendent has
asked every parent to check for the videos,” Aden said.

Sandy’s relaxed face pinched with worry. He
put his hand over hers.

“
We still have a couple
hours,” Aden said. “I thought we could stop by your old
place . . .”

Sandy beamed at him.

“
We need to figure out
what to do with it,” Aden said.

“
You mean now that
Lizzie’s in LA?” Sandy asked.

“
Sure.” Aden lifted his
coffee cup to cover his sly smile.

“
We’d probably have to
check my bedroom and maybe the shower,” Sandy said.

“
To make a good decision,
we should probably try the kitchen and living room too.”

Sandy giggled and he smiled.

“
I’m not missing out on an
offer like that!” Sandy stood up.

Aden dropped money on the table and followed
her out of the restaurant.

Chapter Two Hundred and
Thirty-Eight
Family problems

Wednesday night—9:59 p.m.

“
Dog, what did you do with
the phone you used to send On-Line the video?” a voice on the phone
said.

“
I
told
you,” the boy replied. “I got
rid of it Monday night when all those cops came to school. Why you
hasslin’ me ‘bout this?”

“
They’s sent out a notice
to all parents to look for those videos,” he said.

“
Shit,” the boy said. He
looked at his brother, and his brother scowled at him.

“
You sure it’s gone?” the
voice on the phone asked.

“
I took the battery out
and threw the phone in the lake,” the boy said. “I tol’ my mom it
broke and anyway I was getting lots of wrong numbers. She bought
another one at Walgreens with a different number. You calling me on
the new line, ain’t you?”

“
And that
phone?”

“
It’s clean, dog,” the boy
said. “Don’ worry so much. We gots this covered.”

“
You’re not going to
chicken out and tell your brother, are you?”

“
No,” the boy said. “My
brother don’ know nothin’”

“
Better stay that
way.”

The phone went dead.

“
Give me the God damned
phone,” his brother said.

The boy gave him the phone he’d used to send
Charlie the video.

“
You promised me you’d
stop doing this,” his brother said.

“
They’ll kill me if I don’
go along,” the boy said.

“
I’m going to kill you if
you do this again,” his brother said. “What’s wrong with you? Can’t
get a girlfriend without gang raping and beating them?”

“
It ain’t like that,” the
boy said. “They’ll kill me if I don’t go with them or if I stop. I
tol’ you. I stayed home that time you tol’ me to. They threw a
brick through the window and lit our trash on fire. Scared Mom to
death.”

“
Can’t you just get a
girlfriend? Go to a dance?” his brother asked. “You have to hang
out with rich white boys playing gangster instead?”

“
It ain’t like that,” the
boy said. “They ain’t all white.”

His brother raised a disbelieving
eyebrow.

“
Plus, girls like me,” the
boy said.

“
Girls like you so you
rape them with your friends?” his brother screamed.

“
They told me they’d take
Mom!” the boy said.

“
You disgust me,” his
brother said. “And if anyone finds out you’re in this thing? I’m
going to lose my job. You know what that means?”

“
Mom’s gonna lose the
house and I’m going back to juvie,” the boy said.

“
Is that what you want?”
his brother asked.

“
No,” the boy said. “It’s
just . . . I can’t roll on my boys! They’ll kill
me.”

“
The DA’s talking about
charging you as adults. Your little brown ass is going to adult
prison,” his brother said. “And you can’t roll on your
boys?”

“
It’s called loyalty,” the
boy nodded. “You should try it.”

His brother raised his fist to hit the boy.
He punched the wall instead.

“
Shit,” his brother
stalked toward the front door. “Keep your dick in your pants and
stay in the house. If we’re lucky, you’ll weather this thing. If
not . . .”

“
We all go down,” the boy
said. “I know. You’re like a broken record.”

His brother pointed at the boy and walked
out the door. The boy watched Sergeant Aziz walk to his dark blue
sedan. He waited for his older brother to drive off before turning
into the house. He went straight to his room and closed his
door.

He leaned against the door and his phone
rang again. Seeing the number, he closed his eyes. He set the phone
on the end of his bed.

He went to the desk and wrote a note to his
mom. She’d probably find him when she got off work in a couple
hours.

He didn’t want her to think he didn’t love
her.

Like he planned, he went to the closet and
got the belt his father had given him when he was ten, the last
time he’d seen his father. He put one end over the clothing rod and
pushed it through the buckle. He closed his eyes for a moment
before he found the resolve to step on the box. He put his chin in
the loop.

He stood on the box with the only present
he’d ever received from his father tight under his chin. He stood
there for what felt like an eternity.

He kicked the box out from under him, and
for a moment, he felt only air.

He wished for the box.

He wished for death.

He wished he’d never been born.

Like a television on the fritz, everything
blinked and blinked again. He saw his brother rush into his bedroom
and scream something.

He was falling. His brother clutched him to
his chest. He rocked back and forth.

“
Why?” his brother was
screaming and crying. “Why would you do this?”

“
They’ll kill me,” the boy
whispered.

“
Don’t you die on me,” his
brother screamed. “Don’t you do it. I will come to the gates of
hell and kick your ass.”

For the first time in more than a dozen
years, the boy began to cry.

~~~~~~~~

Thursday morning—5:59 a.m.

“
Okay,” Heather said.
“Yes, I understand. Thanks, Risa.”

“
What did she say?” Tink
asked. “Can I go today?”

“
Not today,” Heather said.
“We’ve scheduled a conference with the principal this
afternoon.”

“
Oh,” Tink said. “Did I
get kicked out of school?”

“
Like we talked about,”
Heather said. “The Taser is considered a concealed weapon, and you
aren’t supposed to have those on campus.”

“
Even if guys are going to
be creeps?” Tink asked.

“
Sadly, there are rules
about Tasers, and no rules about guys being creeps,” Heather
said.

“
Why is that?” Tink
asked.

“
I think everyone expects
guys to be creeps,” Heather smiled.

Tink laughed.

“
Go back to bed,” Heather
said. “I’ll wake you and Ivy in a little while. We have to check in
with your doctor first and then we’re meeting Gracie for lunch. If
we have time, we can go shopping.”

“
What about your work?”
Tink asked.

“
I have the day off,”
Heather said. “Blane took Mack to school so we would have some time
together.”

“
Because of me?” Tink
asked.

“
You had a medical
emergency yesterday,” Heather said. “You need to see the
doctor.”

Tink nodded and went back up the stairs. She
was near the top when she panicked. She ran back down the
stairs.

“
I’m not in school,” Tink
said. “I broke our agreement!”