Deadly Holidays Read Online Free Page A
Author: Alexa Grace
was still working. She'd dropped him off before work and picked him up after. Billy's mommy, Cheryl, was a nice babysitter and made the best peanut butter and jelly sandwiches ever. Shawn secretly wished Cheryl were his mommy, too. She didn't get drunk like his mommy, and she didn't give Billy beatings for no reason.
He'd started walking again when he heard a car motor. He turned to see a police car coming toward him from the end of the street. If the policeman saw him, he'd make him go home, then his mommy would beat him when she got there. He ran behind a house, peeking around the side until the police car passed.
By the time he climbed onto Billy's front porch, Shawn was exhausted and hungry. He gazed in the front window and could see Billy sitting in front of the television. Shawn tapped on the glass and motioned for Billy to let him in.
"Hi, Shawn. Come in. We can play with my Army men," said Billy excitedly.
"Where's your mom?" asked Shawn.
"She's cleaning the basement. She's been down there all morning and I'm lonely."
"Do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry."
After a lunch of peanut butter sandwiches, a glass of milk, and a chocolate pudding cup, the boys went to Billy's room to play Army.
"I can't go home," said Shawn after a while, blinking back tears.
"Why not?" ask Billy.
"My mommy will hit me, and my bruises haven't gone away from last time." The little boy lifted his shirt to reveal a thick band of purple and blue bruises on his back. "I'm really scared, Billy, and I wish I had a place to hide."
"Come with me," said Billy as he pulled at Shawn's arm. In the hallway, Billy opened a door to reveal a staircase that led to an attic on the third floor. Shawn had been in the house many times, but had never noticed that door. "See, Shawn. You can hide in the secret room upstairs. No one will find you."
"But what about your mom and dad?"
"If you're very quiet, they won't know you're up there. I can bring you food, and when Mommy is cleaning, you can come down to go to the bathroom. It will be fun." Billy said as a grin spread from ear-to-ear.
To a frightened five-year-old boy, it seemed the perfect solution, and an adventure, at that.
<><><>
It was 2:00 p.m. by the time Blake reached the sheriff's office conference room, where Tim and Lane sat at an oval oak conference table, planning the search for Shawn Isaac.
"Listen, the kid has only been missing for two and a half hours," said Tim.
"True," responded Lane, "But there are two strange elements to this situation that have me worried."
"What's that?" asked Blake as he removed his coat, draping it across the back of a chair as he sat down.
"First of all, we can't find his mother. There are a limited number of bars she could have gone to in this county, and she's not at any of them. Her friends said she called them on her cell phone right after the hearing. She was on her way to meet them. Why isn't she there?"
Tim chimed in, "Have our deputies checked the house she's renting, or the farm house where she used to live?"
"Yes," answered Lane. "She's not there, either. It's like she disappeared into thin air. I've got Sam Brown doing a cell phone history and tower search now. I'll follow up with a warrant."
"I was thinking," Blake began. "Could John Isaac have abducted his son either to get back at Eve, or to punish Shawn for testifying?"
“That's my second concern,” said Lane. “John Isaac is missing, too.".
Blake's eyebrows raised in amazement. "What?"
"John Issac was on probation for an unrelated assault charge last year. He had an appointment with his probation officer, Lana Baldwin, right after the hearing. He was a no-show, so she called it in. We sent deputies to his apartment, and he's not there. No one's seen him. I've got Sam tracking his
He'd started walking again when he heard a car motor. He turned to see a police car coming toward him from the end of the street. If the policeman saw him, he'd make him go home, then his mommy would beat him when she got there. He ran behind a house, peeking around the side until the police car passed.
By the time he climbed onto Billy's front porch, Shawn was exhausted and hungry. He gazed in the front window and could see Billy sitting in front of the television. Shawn tapped on the glass and motioned for Billy to let him in.
"Hi, Shawn. Come in. We can play with my Army men," said Billy excitedly.
"Where's your mom?" asked Shawn.
"She's cleaning the basement. She's been down there all morning and I'm lonely."
"Do you have anything to eat? I'm hungry."
After a lunch of peanut butter sandwiches, a glass of milk, and a chocolate pudding cup, the boys went to Billy's room to play Army.
"I can't go home," said Shawn after a while, blinking back tears.
"Why not?" ask Billy.
"My mommy will hit me, and my bruises haven't gone away from last time." The little boy lifted his shirt to reveal a thick band of purple and blue bruises on his back. "I'm really scared, Billy, and I wish I had a place to hide."
"Come with me," said Billy as he pulled at Shawn's arm. In the hallway, Billy opened a door to reveal a staircase that led to an attic on the third floor. Shawn had been in the house many times, but had never noticed that door. "See, Shawn. You can hide in the secret room upstairs. No one will find you."
"But what about your mom and dad?"
"If you're very quiet, they won't know you're up there. I can bring you food, and when Mommy is cleaning, you can come down to go to the bathroom. It will be fun." Billy said as a grin spread from ear-to-ear.
To a frightened five-year-old boy, it seemed the perfect solution, and an adventure, at that.
<><><>
It was 2:00 p.m. by the time Blake reached the sheriff's office conference room, where Tim and Lane sat at an oval oak conference table, planning the search for Shawn Isaac.
"Listen, the kid has only been missing for two and a half hours," said Tim.
"True," responded Lane, "But there are two strange elements to this situation that have me worried."
"What's that?" asked Blake as he removed his coat, draping it across the back of a chair as he sat down.
"First of all, we can't find his mother. There are a limited number of bars she could have gone to in this county, and she's not at any of them. Her friends said she called them on her cell phone right after the hearing. She was on her way to meet them. Why isn't she there?"
Tim chimed in, "Have our deputies checked the house she's renting, or the farm house where she used to live?"
"Yes," answered Lane. "She's not there, either. It's like she disappeared into thin air. I've got Sam Brown doing a cell phone history and tower search now. I'll follow up with a warrant."
"I was thinking," Blake began. "Could John Isaac have abducted his son either to get back at Eve, or to punish Shawn for testifying?"
“That's my second concern,” said Lane. “John Isaac is missing, too.".
Blake's eyebrows raised in amazement. "What?"
"John Issac was on probation for an unrelated assault charge last year. He had an appointment with his probation officer, Lana Baldwin, right after the hearing. He was a no-show, so she called it in. We sent deputies to his apartment, and he's not there. No one's seen him. I've got Sam tracking his
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