“It took me a long time to get to the realization that you never intended for me to be treated in such an inhumane way. Those days in the anger management prison were the most terrifying days of my life. If it wasn’t for the intervention of Teresa and Jason, I probably would not have survived it!”
“I know I can never make up for the horrible things that were done to you, Tim. When the story was released to the media, I just wanted to curl up and die. I was so humiliated that my attempt to provide you with some self-discipline in your life turned out to be a trip to a torture chamber! You were right to be angry with me. I really let you down when you needed someone to step up and work with you.”
“Despite everything that happened to me, I also realized that I was out of line a lot of the time. I let my temper get the best of me, and did not treat others and especially you fairly. How did our communication get to such a low level, Mom? Every letter I sent out from that camp was an attempt to tell you how bad things were at the camp. The only person who understood what the letters were saying was Teresa Barnwell. If she hadn’t begged Jason to check things out at the camp, I don’t think I would be alive today! She tried to tell you what was going on, but you cut her off, and refused to even talk to her!”
“At the time, I thought she was another one of those so-called friends leading you down the path to drugs and drinking. I didn’t know who to trust in those turbulent days. Again I misjudged things and made mistakes. I’ve really botched things. I don’t know else to do at this point but say ‘I’m sorry’ and ask if we can just start over again.”
“Mom, that’s not such a bad idea. But how can we be a family when we are so divided? You have your life with Frederick, I have my life with Dad and Teresa. The only one who has been able to bridge the gap so far is Grace. She is the rock of our family! I don’t know how she does it!”
“You are right about Grace. She is like the Swiss ambassador in our family! I know you don’t get along with Frederick but he is part of my life now, Tim. If we are going to reassemble our family, he is part of the mix!”
“As is Jeff and Teresa when it comes to my life, Mom. Can you deal with that?”
“I think I can, Tim. I lived with your father for many years. Despite our differences, I am willing to overlook them if we agree to be sociable and not vindictive to each other. I will do my best to be nice to Teresa, now that I know how important she is to you and how she helped save your life!”
“Can we ever have a family gathering where we are all there and getting along?”
“I don’t see why not, if everyone who attends agrees to be positive about things.”
“Mom, right now that is my greatest wish! Can we devote a holiday toward this goal, like Thanksgiving? If it works out maybe we can have other times together like Christmas.”
“If that will help you heal, Tim, I am more than willing to try. I think that we owe you a chance to set things right!”
“Then let’s do it, Mom! Or maybe we should try something before then, something simple like a family barbeque.”
“That is a good idea, Tim, but let’s begin at even a simpler level. I would like to start by getting to know Teresa better. Let’s meet for lunch next week, just the three of us. My treat!”
“Okay, Mom. I will talk to Teresa about it. Why don’t you give me a call later in the week to set things up.”
Tim and Shirley got up to leave. Tim dialed Dr. Agoura’s extension to let him know that they were finished with their meeting and getting ready to leave. A few minutes later, Dr. Agoura came in the room.
“How did things go?” he asked.
Tim described the highlights of their meeting, how they had agreed to start over, and were making plans for a family reunion.
“That is wonderful news,” Dr. Agoura said with a big smile. “I am so happy for both of you!”
“Thank you for all you have done for Tim, Doctor,” Shirley said. “And thank you for encouraging him to have this meeting. This is turning out to be one of the best days of my life! And don’t worry about interrupting your work to drive Tim home. I can give him a ride.”
Louis Agoura watched Tim and his mother leave. “Sometimes this job pays real dividends,” he said to himself.
Chapter 20
The Attack
(Very Late Monday through Tuesday)
It was past midnight on Monday evening. Nick and his mother Caterina were both asleep in their bedrooms. But all was not well at their house. A silent intruder was making his way up toward Nick’s room. The man was dressed all in black and had a black ski mask on. Quietly the man entered Nick’s room. He had two sets of handcuffs and a large curved knife with him.
As Nick woke up, he felt the wrist of his right hand being brought above his head. A clicking sound was heard as his wrist was handcuffed to a metal post on his headboard. “What the…” Nick started to say in a groggy voice, but the man was on him and put his hand over Nick’s mouth. In his other hand was the knife.
“Don’t make a sound, boy, or I will cut you!” the man said in a low ominous voice. “Understand?”
When Nick nodded yes, the man grabbed his left wrist and handcuffed it to another bedpost. He took out a wadded handkerchief and stuffed it in Nick’s mouth. “You are mine, boy! You are going to pay for your rude behavior the last time I was here!”
Nick squirmed in fear, but there was no escape this time. The man pulled the covers off the bed. He started teasing Nick with his knife, drawing imaginary cut lines with it on Nick’s chest. He then started cutting the buttons off his pajamas one by one until his entire chest was exposed. He rubbed his hands over the exposed skin. Nick made muffled sounds of terror into his gag. The man put his hand back over Nick’s mouth. “Don’t worry, boy, I’m not going to molest you this time. I’m saving that pleasure for later, when there is more time! Instead you need to be punished!”
The masked man began punching Nick in his gut, chest, and sides. Tears of fear and shame dripped out of his eyes as the helpless teenager absorbed blow after blow.
“That’s for resisting me, and fighting back. Don’t you know you can never win against me, boy?” The man brought his face close to Nick. “Do you?” he hissed at Nick.
Nick nodded his head yes. “Good! I’m glad you understand now!” The man then hit Nick with two vicious punches to his head, knocking him unconscious.
Sunlight was streaming through the windows of Nick’s room when he woke up from the attack. The handcuffs had been removed and the handkerchief had been taken out of his mouth. The only signs of the attack were Nick’s shredded pajamas and the bruises on his body. Nick got up slowly and painfully out of his bed. He put on some underwear and went to the bathroom to examine himself. He had a black eye and numerous bruises on his body from the punches he had received. He remembered the moments of terror he experienced from the attack. He cringed in fear for a few minutes. Then the Feraducci resolve inside him started to kick in. “I’m never going to give in to that pervert! He got me good this time, but I must continue to fight back!”
Nick put on a tee shirt and shorts and went to call his mother. “Mom, where are you? I need help! I have been attacked again!”
Caterina came running to his room. “Nicolo!” she yelled in shock as she saw Nick’s condition. “What happened? Are you all right?”
“I was attacked again by that man in the ski mask. He really beat me up this time!”
She came up to him and said, “How could this happen? I am so sorry, Nicolo.” She put her arms around him. “I can’t understand how this evil man keeps getting into our locked up house!”
“Mom, I want you to call the police, and I want to call Jason and Daniel. I need some action and some help.”
“You need medical care, too, Nicolo. Those bruises look very nasty. I am calling Dr. Foster right now.” Dr. Foster lived in their neighborhood and had a local practice in the San Matthias area. Luckily he was home, and agreed to come over right away. Next she called the
police to report the crime. They told her that a patrol car would be sent over right away.
Then Nick called Jason. It was early but Jason was awake and picked up the phone. When Jason heard what had happened, he was furious. “That bastard! I am very upset about this. This guy sounds incredibly mean and cruel. He needs to be stopped. I will call Daniel and we will be right over as soon as we can. Hang in there, Nick. Help is on the way!”
Dr. Foster was the first to arrive, followed shortly by the police. Dr. Foster took Nick into the kitchen and gave him a thorough examination. He then treated his wounds, and told Nick how to deal with the black eye. “I am pretty sure that none of these bruises are very serious, and they should heal completely over the next week. I don’t feel any damage to your internal organs. My main concern is whether you suffered a concussion. You don’t have any overt symptoms that I can see, but that could change. At this point I don’t believe you require hospitalization. Given the circumstances, that is probably better. I would like to examine you again tomorrow both for your wounds and to check again about the concussion aspect of your attack. I want you to get plenty of rest. You may require some counseling when the full impact of what was done to you sinks in. Right now you seem very brave and courageous about the whole incident, but your mind will probably replay the terror you experienced many more times. That could be in the form of nightmares or flashbacks. Would you like for me to set something up?”
“Let’s decide about that tomorrow,” Nick replied. “I have some friends who have a lot of experience in those matters and I would like their advice before I decide.”
“If there is any change in your physical condition at all, please contact me immediately, day or night.” He gave Nick a business card with his contact information.
“Thank you, Doctor Foster. I appreciate you coming right over to help me.”
“You’re welcome, Nick. I am very upset that someone in our community would choose to harm and intimidate a fine young person like yourself. Take care and keep your spirits up!”
After the doctor left, the patrolmen briefly interviewed Nick. When they were told about the nature and seriousness of the attack, they quickly called the station to send out detectives. Because Nick’s name was in their database from his previous attack, the detectives called in Captain Garcia of the Silicon Valley Police for assistance. Garcia had assembled a task force after the recent disappearance of Ben Kessler to investigate all crimes committed against young people in the San Matthias area. He was convinced that there had to be some local connection to these crimes. The task force was in the process of sifting through every possible lead in the cases and investigating anyone who had even the slightest connection to any of the cases. The fact that Nick had been targeted more than once was the first solid lead that they had had since the week of Ben’s disappearance.
Captain Garcia and two of his task force members hurried down to Nick’s house, and were about to start their interview with Nick when Jason and Daniel arrived. Nick got up and went over to greet his friends.
“Jason, Daniel! It’s so good to see some friendly faces. Thanks for coming down.” Nick went over to them, and gave them handshakes that turned into hugs.
“We are so sorry about what happened to you, Nick!” Jason began. “I feel that somehow we dropped the ball for you.”
“Seeing what that creep did to you makes my blood boil!” Daniel said with some anger in his voice. “I know I want to do everything possible to find this pervert and stop him from attacking kids! Are you all right, Nick? He didn’t hurt your hands or your ability to play the piano, did he?”
“No, just my pride and self-esteem. Plus he scared the shit out of me!”
“Jason, Daniel!” Captain Garcia exclaimed. “How are you involved with this?”
“Hello, Captain,” Jason said as he and Daniel shook hands with Garcia. “We just recently met Nick and have already become good friends. When we heard about the masked man who has been attacking him, we vowed to do something to help Nick. We want to do everything we can to help this investigation!”
“We were just beginning our questioning of Nick.”
“Is it okay if we listen in?” Jason asked. “That way Nick won’t be forced to relive his experience more than once. Daniel and I promise not to interfere in any way.”
“Is that all right with you, Nick?”
“Yes, I want Jason and Daniel to know what happened so they can help me.”
After everyone was seated, Nick went through his story. Daniel especially bristled with anger when Nick described how he was tied down and beaten.
“That guy is such a gutless coward!” Daniel muttered to himself.
At the end of Nick’s account, Captain Garcia asked for comments, questions, or conclusions.
Sergeant Malone asked Nick if he was able to notice any facial characteristics of the attacker, anything that he could see under the mask, like the man’s eyes, teeth or facial hair.
“His eyes were dark, and his teeth were small and straight. I didn’t notice much in the way of hair so it probably was short.”
Captain Garcia asked Nick about the man’s speech. “I know he was speaking in a low threatening voice, but was there any kind of accent that you noticed?”
“There was nothing in what he said that reminded me of another language,” Nick replied.
Then Jason said, “One of the mysteries of these attacks is how the attacker was able to get in and out of the house so freely, and apparently with no signs of forced entry. Was there any sign of that at the front door or back door?”
“Our preliminary investigation has discovered no sign of forced entry anywhere,” Sergeant Malone replied.
“Then I think figuring that out has to be a first priority. Especially since Nick’s attacker clearly intends to return and do him additional harm!”
Daniel made a very perceptive observation. “Since it is clear that Nick has been specifically targeted for these attacks, I wonder if there isn’t a Feraducci angle to these attacks.” He then asked Nick, “Is there anyone that you know or know of who has an issue with the Feraducci family?”
“I don’t personally know of anyone,” Nick replied. “Since Mom and I moved here, she has made a point of only having the most minimal contact with my grandfather, Enrico Feraducci. We have had nothing to do with any element of the Feraducci family organization.”
“Nevertheless, that is a very good point, Daniel, and something worth investigating,” Captain Garcia said.
Just then Nick’s mom, Caterina, entered the room with a tray of drinks and food. “Nicolo, have you had anything to eat or drink this morning?”
“No, Mom, I have been too worked up and too busy talking to people to eat!”
“I want you to have a glass of milk and rolls or cereal. You need to keep your strength up! Everyone please help yourselves to coffee or anything else you see.”
“Thank you,” Captain Garcia said, “but we need to start our investigation of the house and grounds. I will also assign a couple of officers to provide you with round the clock protection here.”
“Nick, you need some time away from here,” Jason stated emphatically. “I want you to come and stay at my house for the time being. You will be safe there. The attacker can’t get to you if he doesn’t know where you are. You should be with someone all the time.”
“Thank you for offering, Jason,” Caterina replied, “but Nicolo needs to stay around here at least through Wednesday to be here for the police investigation and he has a follow up appointment with Dr. Foster tomorrow afternoon.”
“Mom, Jason’s right! I need to get out of here for a while! I feel so vulnerable here right now! How does that man keep getting in here?”
“Well, I am sure Captain Garcia and the police are going to be checking out things like that,” Caterina replied. “If necessary I can cancel my appointments for the next few days to be with you.”
“How about this plan?” Jason began. “Daniel an
d I and maybe Eric and Tim will take shifts to be here with you, so you are not alone. That way you can be here for the police investigation and for your medical care. Then I want you to come and stay at my house. Would that be okay, Mrs. Poulos?”
“If Dr. Foster okays it, I don’t see why not for a few days. In the meantime, I will see about getting an alarm system installed here, and maybe some private security after the police leave.”
While Captain Garcia and the task force were searching the house and grounds for any clues, the three boys went up to Nick’s room to talk and brainstorm about things.
“I’m so impressed with how brave you have been, Nick,” Daniel said as they were walking up the stairs. “That man really hurt you!”
“That’s the Feraducci bravado, Daniel. Inside I am still scared shitless!”
“Maybe, Nick, but most kids or adults for that matter who were attacked like you were would be cowering in fear! You are already doing something to fight back, as best you can. That takes some guts, my friend!” Daniel gave Nick a high-five and continued, “I’m with you all the way!”
“Don’t worry, Nick. Daniel and I are going to stay with you so you won’t be alone for the time being. We are going to start trying to figure out how and why this man is targeting you!” Jason added. “If we come up with anything, I will place all the resources of my foundation to help find this criminal. He is one sick individual!”
The boys looked around Nick’s room first. “How did your attacker get in and out every time without being noticed? That’s the first problem to solve,” Jason continued. “Unless he is Batman he would have to use the stairs I would think. Are there any other exits up here? Is there anything like a laundry chute or dumb waiter that an intruder could use? Correct me if I am wrong, Nick, but weren’t you able to cry out for help during one of the attacks? How could he get past your mom without being noticed?”
Family Matters Page 14
