Chapter Eight:

Bo walked into the garret and found Matthew asleep on the couch, his head in MaryAnn’s lap, wearing one of Bo’s LPD sweatshirts and clutching a picture of Nora against him. MaryAnn was running her hands through his hair. Bo walked over towards the couch and could see his little boy’s tear stained cheeks. Bo fought back the moisture that was building in his eyes wanting to do his best to stay strong for their son. MaryAnn smiled a silent smile as Bo picked Matthew up off the couch. He instinctively wrapped his arms around his father’s neck.

“Mommy home yet?”, he asked still half asleep.

“No champ not yet.”

“I dreamed about her daddy and she told me that you will find her.”

“I’ll find her, I promise.”

Bo carries him into his bedroom.

“Okay daddy I know you will, but hurry okay.”

“Okay buddy, I’ll hurry. Now get some sleep.”

“Okay daddy.”

Bo walks towards the door.

“Daddy?”

“Yeah, Matt.”

“When mommy comes home can we be a real family?”

“We’ll talk about it as soon as mommy comes home, okay.”

“Okay daddy.”

Bo turned out the light and watched as Matthew rolled over and pulled the covers tight under his chin. He was sound asleep before Bo even closed the door.

Bo walked out into the living room and noticed that MaryAnn had already let herself out. He sat down on the couch and kicked his shoes off. He removed his tie and threw it on the coffee table. He started to drift off to sleep just as his cell phone started to ring.

“Buchanan.”

“Commissioner its Antonio, I’ve just gotten off the phone with Mr. Elliott. He is on his way down to the station to talk with us.”

“I’m on my way. Let’s me just get Matt and I’ll meet you at the station in 20 minutes.”

“I’m already here and I’ve called Jessica and she’s on her way to sit with Matthew. No need to wake him up.”

“Thank you Antonio. (knock on the door) That must be Jessica now. I’ll see you in a few.”

Bo opened the door and let Jessica in. He thanked her for coming by to sit with her cousin.

“It’s my pleasure Uncle Bo. Just go find Nora. I’ll stay here as long as you need me to. I brought some stuff just in case I need to spend the night.”

“Thanks Jess. I love you sweetheart”, he said planting a kiss on her cheek.

“Love you too Uncle Bo. You know even though the two of you aren’t together anymore I still think of Nora as my aunt. She’ll always be an important part of my life.”

“I know Jess. She’s an important part of mine too. I’ll call you if I’m not going to make it home tonight.”

“Okay. Be careful Uncle Bo.”

Bo arrived at the LPD in record time. Antonio was talking with a middle-aged man who he assumed was Mr. Elliott. He glanced over at Marcie who gave him one of her reassuring smiles. He was certainly glad he had hired her.

Antonio stood up as Bo approached his desk.

“Commissioner this is John Elliott, Mr. Elliott, Commissioner Buchanan.”

“Call me Bo.”

“Well then call me John. I’ve been speaking with your detective here and I think I may know where Nick is.”

At the same time back at the cabin…

The thunder and lightening woke Nora with a start. She did her best to sit herself up against the wall without pulling on her shoulder, and fought her way out of the leftover effects of the drug. She looked down at her arms and her legs and fresh tears welled up in her eyes. She jumped as another clap of thunder rolled across the sky. Soon the skies opened up and she could hear the rain beating down on the tin roof of the old cabin. The wind howled through the openings in the walls bringing a chill inside the cabin. Nora pulled her torn nightgown closed as she pulled her knees up against her chest trying to get warm. She was starving and still feeling lightheaded from the drugs. She hadn’t seen Nick since he had given her the drugs after hearing Bo’s radio announcement. She pushed back the memories of watching him walk towards her with the needle. The sting as the point pierced her skin and the warmth flowing through her veins as the drug entered her body. She felt uncomfortable in her own skin, as though she was a stranger to herself; she knew her life would never be the same again.

The sound of his voice caused her to jump and come out of her thoughts.

“Well well look who’s awake.”

He staggered towards her the same menacing look in his eye he had the last time she had seen him. She pulled her legs tighter against her chest, moving as far away from him as she could. He sat down on the bed beside her. She could still smell the whiskey on his breath and it brought a flood of memories to the surface. She felt as though she would be sick as he sat there beside her just watching her.

Back at the LPD:

“You’re sure you found your key missing after the last time Nick was in your office?”

“Yeah, I remember my son and I were going to go up to the cabin that following weekend but I couldn’t find the key which I always left in the drawer at my office. I had left the office for a moment leaving Nick alone in there. That was the last time I saw him.

“So you told Nick all about this cabin?”

“I remember talking to Nick about the cabin one day when he saw a picture of my son and I standing outside the cabin. He talked about childhood summer trips to his grandfather’s cabin somewhere in the mountains near the Canadian border. He asked me about the cabin, where it was things like that. I never thought anything of it, and to be honest I didn’t think anything of it when the key came up missing. I just figured I had misplaced it and was planning on going up there at the end of my vacation to have new locks installed.”

“Antonio I want everyone ready to leave in 10 minutes. We’re about to drop in on Nick Manzo. How long will it take for us to get there?”

“In this weather by car an hour.”

“We don’t have that kind of time.”

Bo picked up the phone and 20 minutes later he was in a helicopter on his way to the cabin in the Pocono Mountains. The rest of the officers and Antonio had no choice but to make the trip by vehicle. The pilot was having a hard time flying in the storm but he knew how important it was for him to get them as close to the cabin as possible. He finally had to set the helicopter down in East Stroudsburg, and they made the last bit of the trip up to Pocono Summit by truck.

Bo drummed his fingers against his knees. He was bursting with nervous energy and running on pure adrenaline. He kept looking at his watch counting down each minute of the twenty minute trip.

At the same time back at the cabin…

Nick was pacing around the room while Nora kept yelling at him about Bo finding her and making him pay for what he did to her. He only had one syringe left of the drug and didn’t want to use it up. He was coming down from his own high and he was on edge.

“Shut up!”

“No Nick. You need to face the truth. It’s over you’re going back to prison.”

“I’m never going back there again.”

Nick continued to pace back and forth. He had to get her to shut up. He couldn’t think. He walked over to her and un-cuffed her wrist from the bed. He pulled her down on the bed and pinned her down holding one hand over her mouth. He picked up the syringe with the other hand and injected her again. He started to push the liquid through the syringe. She bit his hand causing him to release his grip on the syringe. She tried to move out from under his grip but he was too strong. She knew what he was about to do and she knew there was no way she could live through it again. He injected her with the rest of the drug. He knew it would take a few minutes for her to feel the effects. He lifted her arms high above her head. She closed her eyes fighting the effects of the drug knowing pretty soon she was going to have no fight left in her. Just when she was about to give up fighting she heard it. The sound of wood being broken in two…and then she heard him.

“Get your hands off her Manzo.”