#NoPower ‘Therefore, I will teach them;
this time I will teach them my power and might. Then they will know that my
name is the Lord.’ ~ Jeremiah 16:21
That had been Brittany’s one
stipulation about the article when Mrs. Perkins had called her for a quote. It
was happening, with or without her, so Brittany insisted one of the power
verses be included, since they were the whole reason for the article. It had either been that or no quote.
Brittany tried not to grin with
pride as Dad read over the last of the article. ‘Miss King has certainly proven
the power of social media. With barely two weeks since the launch of her
Twitter account, #NoPower has received more then 500 followers, including
several celebrities, as well as the residents of Connors, re-tweeting between
friends and family, extending the circle to the West Coast and back. Responses
are in amazement at the resilience and strength of this 13-year-old and the
reservation she displays in her faith.’
‘“These verses are my medicine, as
much as anyone else’s,” King commented on her sudden fame. “I started it for
myself because I didn’t want fear to win. Now, it’s helping other people too.
I’m happy about that.’”
Brittany pulled at her hair. Did
that sound as corny as she thought it did? It wasn’t a direct quote, but a good
summery of what she’d said to Mrs. Perkins. She looked up
as Mom snatched the paper from Dad, her too-bright smile on her face. “Brittany
King is the daughter of Deputy Declan King of Connors Sheriff’s Department and
Patty King a receptionist and tutor with Smart Apple Clinic. King has no doubts
of following her father’s footsteps into law enforcement.’”
She wasn’t enthusiastic about the
article like Dad was, but at least she was trying. Brittany just ducked her
head farther over her plate. They both needed to stop beaming at her, like,
three seconds ago. “It’s not like I
wrote the article.”
“But you’re the one the whole
county’s thinking about when they read it.” Dad patted the paper heartily. “I
can’t wait for all of my colleagues to comment on it tomorrow.”
“Cuse they’re so eager to inflate
your big head.” Mom teased.
Dad gestured with his fork.
“Brittany, meet kettle over there.”
Brittany laughed along with him.
This was nice. They were laughing, Dad was home for some vacation so she got to
see him before and after school every day…
“Pushing these petty squabbles
aside.” Mom redirected. “Let’s discuss Thanksgiving.”
Dad groaned. “There’s enough petty
squabbles for an ulcer.”
“It’s at your parent’s house this year.” Mom pointed with her own fork, sporting a green bean.
“It doesn’t matter whose house, Patty.” Dad spoke over a bite of meatloaf. “Our parents hate each other.”
“There’s always hope.” Brittany put
in, giggling.
“Not after twenty years.”
Before Mom could jump to her family's defense the phone rang. Brittany offered to get it so her parents
could go about their ‘squabbling’. I
wonder which parent they get it from?
“Hello, King household.” Brittany
stated, clicking the receiver on.
“Saw your expose.”
Brittany’s heart slammed to a halt.
“Thought it drug on a little…”
Brittany dropped the receiver,
backing away from it. But it was like the voice- his voice- followed her. “It… Daddy, it’s him!”
The jovial air of the dining room
dropped like she had the phone. It was like he sensed their attention and went
on speaking. “Let me tell you something about power, little girl…”
“Who is this!?!” Dad demanded,
swiping the phone up. Mom took Brittany by the shoulders and Brittany couldn’t
press into her far enough. Her mom could wrap her up in that warm cocoon like
she’d always done, and ban the bad things away.
“Interesting,” Dad barked, louder
then Brittany had ever heard. “Now let me paint you a picture…”
He charged out into the living room,
the rest lost on Brittany’s ears. She turned into Mom. “It’s him. What’s he…”
“Pray, Brittany.” Mom told her,
tightening her arms. “Just pray.”
`&`&`&`&`&`
“He had to have grown up wealthy.”
Declan paced from one officer to the other. “And there’s got to be a smudge on
his record, somewhere. You don’t
become a burglar overnight.”
“But there’s no telling if he was
caught for any previous burglaries.” Officer Roland pointed out. “Anybody can
break into a house.”
“Ok,” Chief Wray rubbed a hand along
the back of his neck. “Local boy, likely born in the 80s, upper-class
childhood… tell me that this helps us?”
Immediately after the call, Declan
had called a unit to stay in with Patty and Brittany while he stormed into the
station, demanding to go over the suspect list. He’d heard this guy’s voice…
his breathing, and his twisted sense of being top dog. Only his speech pattern
was too sophisticated to use the term ‘top dog’. And he’d sounded well-versed
in intimidation, but Declan knew that that was where his judgment clouded. He
was right to be off this case; but he couldn’t leave this station tonight
without at least having some names. A name, if they were lucky.
“I’ve got a Harvey Fernell and a
Quinn Elkwood.” Officer Broskey read off his sheet. “The former’s the son of
the CEO for that cookie factory, latter’s a self-made career coach. Cushy
childhoods, Fernell’s got a few DUIs.”
“It’d have to be something more
aggravated then that.” Chief Wray shook his head. “This guy’s just proved that
he has buttons and they can be pushed.”
“But suppose he’s as good at hiding
it then, as he is now.” Broskey mentioned. “No offense chief, but he has been dodging us.”
The chief’s face sunk in a deep
frown. “No one’s that good.”
“Ok,” Officer Graves stopped
clicking on his screen. “We’re assuming this guy’s local due to his ability to
maneuver around the area. Suppose his job has something
to do with that?”
“How so?” Declan asked him directly;
he’d take anything at this point.
“Landscaping?” Graves suggested.
“Working with any of the power companies; Conners is serviced by at least six…
Exterminators, the propane companies…”
That list was still too long, the
possibilities endless. The every minute that ticked by was another minute his
little girl had to live in fear. Declan pressed the bridge of his nose between
his fingers. Is this the price, God? For
proclaiming the faith, for standing by Your name?
`&`&`&`&`&`
#NoPower ~ ‘For the kingdom of God is
not a matter of talk, but of power.’ ~ 1 Corinthians 4:20
The
tweets went on, the number of followers rising with each new one that she-
Brittany King- posted. It had caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres, Dr.
Charles Stanley, all the presidential campaigns… HIS ATTENTION!
Alec
stared hard into the wall, glaring off with the crack that his hand had made.
That had gotten the pit bull barking again. With each yip, Alec wanted more and
more to stroll over to the neighbor’s apartment and wrangle the puny mutt’s
neck. That’s how it had gone down with the old man. Mr.Szekely had thought
himself mightier and Alec had proven him wrong… with his bare hands.
“You
don’t get much more powerful then that, little girl.” Alec seethed at the wall.
He had been sure that the phone call would work at getting her out of his
spotlight. It was his time, his story that should’ve been in the paper. But
noooo, this morning, like all the other mornings before, there had been a
tweet. She wasn’t stopping! She was stealing what was rightfully his! Just like
everyone else- school, home, work, it was all a continuous cloud over him,
overshadowing, undermining…
It’s gonna end with her! Alec vowed. This’ll be even better, in the end really. A cop’s daughter. And they
still won’t catch me… not until I want them to.
`&`&`&`&`&`
“Keep the fire station open for the
final week of June.” Declan demanded over the phone. “I know it’s later then
other years, but… you can have your vetern’s BBQ any weekend! Those guys are
retired, they’re not going anywhere!”
CLICK!
Declan looked up at Howard. “The fire chief just hung up on me.”
Howard snickered. “How many times
have I warned you not to raise your voice to him. I can see why you didn’t
graduate in public relations.”
Declan hung up the phone on his end, debating telling him where
to stick it. Coming in to work with Howard on the citizen’s academy was his
last shred of sanity between Patty working and Brittany at school most of the
day. Declan had been able to hold his own for the first four days, getting the
house prepped for Christmas.
Since
Thanksgiving wasn’t at their house this year, he figured they could just skip
right to the reindeer figurines and fake-frosted ivy wreaths. Patty hadn’t said
anything, but he knew the free-range of seasons was driving her nuts. She liked
to follow the calendar like a Bible.
“Hey
King!”
Declan
looked up from his thoughts to see Officer Damon enter the bullpen, folder in
hand and face eager. Damon was in his first year on the Conners beat. His face
hadn’t had time to harden yet. But with the tone around his house this past
month, Declan welcomed it. “What’s up, Damon?”
“Blueprints.”
Damon announced.
“Blueprints.”
Declan and Howard answered back to him.
“You
remember how Graves mentioned that maybe our Blank Burglar worked in electric
or landscaping; anything that got him out and around the communities, so he
could jump so easily from one to the other.”
Yes. Declan recalled hitting that wall, along with many
others.
“Well,
I had to make a run to get my permit in for carry and conceal,” Damon went on
to explain. “When it hit me, right as I was standing in line. City hall.
Everything- EVERYTHING- gets
processed through that building. Including new construction or subdivisions
that go up within the corporation limits.’
‘I
did a little checking into the houses that our guy’s hit so far.” Damon held
out the folder he had been holding. “Every one of the families had put in new
zoning permits with city hall within the last year.”
Howard
raised a skeptic eyebrow. “Them and twenty others, every week. Damon, those
offices are as behind in their files as we are…”
“I
know, I know,” Damon nodded, trying to reel them back in. “The only house that
didn’t match this criteria was the Szekely house. And something started bugging
me. The Szekelys were retired; this was probably common knowledge. What if the burglar was counting on
one or both of them being home? In fact, what if he already knew?”
I hope this kid hasn’t lost sleep over
this. Declan held a
sigh back. He could admit that he was open to theories, but he wasn’t
interested in the Red Bull-juiced imaginings of a rookie cop.
“I
wouldn’t have thought to connect the two facts until I noticed this,” Damon
pointed to a footnote on the Szekely file. “Alexander Morria.”
Howard’s
head picked up at that. “The clerk at city hall. I’ve been playing poker with
them since ’74.”
“Alexander
Morria, Jr.” Damon emphasized. “Family friends with the Szekelys, and landed a
job as meter reader with city hall.”
Meter reader. Declan looked at the name, trying to
put a face. “Lots of sons follow in their father’s career occupations…”
“That
job wasn’t Alex Jr.’s choice.” Damon flipped a few pages over. “His dad pulled
some strings to get him in there after he was kicked out of Kent State. We’ve
been looking for local arrest records; not records from locals who lived in
other states. I called over to the college’s administration.’
‘Couldn’t
get the files released- we’ll need the chief for that- but the secretary told
me that he got into several fights with other students. The last one landed the
guy in a hospital with a ruptured eardrum and crushed elbow.”
Okay,
color Declan interested. “Damon, this is thorough
work, but we can’t really pursue anything out of this. A friendly relation isn’t
enough to…”
The
vibration of his cell phone stopped him. He unclipped it. “Patty.”
“Maybe
she can talk to the fire chief for you.” Howard mentioned with a snicker.
“What?”
Damon asked.
Declan
and Howard shared a glance, Declan putting the phone to his cheek. “Patty…”
“Declan,”
Patty rushed. “The school called and Brittany didn’t get on her bus.”
Declan’s
brow furrowed. “Was she spending the afternoon…”
“No
friends, no flute, no nothing.” Patty confirmed. “I’ve tried her phone and it’s
not picking up. Hack into the GPS!”
“Honey,”
Declan started walking out of the room. “Back off of the Jason Bourne movies…”
“Then
what do you suggest? Our daughter’s missing!”
Declan
pushed down the pit that occupied his stomach. “Listen, the
bus drivers have made mistakes before. I’ll go home and be there to greet our
daughter as she comes off the bus.”
Patty’s
sigh lasted two seconds too long. “Declan…”
“It’ll be fine, Patty.” Declan said, reaching
the locker room. He needed to believe that.
~To Be Continued~
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