“I don’t know,” Nick replied. “That point has been bothering me for a long time now. I have no idea how he did it. There are no secret passages, chutes, or lifts in the house.”
“Guys, I think we have to remember what Cousin Sherlock once stated,” Daniel said. “You know the quote that says, ‘When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.’”
“So what is the impossible in this situation?” Nick asked.
“The impossible is that the attacker went down the staircase while your mom was coming to help you the time you cried out. She would have had to see him. The other two times you were unconscious, so he would have had plenty of time to exit. I think we have to look at magic tricks for the solution,” Daniel continued.
“I see what you are getting at, Daniel!” Jason exclaimed. “Daniel, you are a genius! Let’s check out your hallway, Nick.”
The three boys went into the hall. “Where is your mom’s bedroom?”
“It’s the first door on the left, just after the stairs,” Nick answered.
“So if she came in response to help you, there is no way that the intruder could avoid running into her, if he was making his escape. Now here is where the magic trick comes in. Do you want to explain, Daniel?”
“Sure, the most basic trick in magic is simple deception. You think that something is in one place because that is the logical place for it to be. In actuality, the thing is in another place, and while you are focused on where you think it is, a simple sleight of hand can move the object.”
“So in this case,” Jason continued, “the intruder was clever enough to go the opposite way down the hall, and probably ducked into one of these doors, like this hall closet. As soon as he heard your mom talking to you, he then made his hasty exit down the hall and down the stairs. Her attention would be totally focused on you, Nick, and of course you were reeling from the attack.”
“Wow, it seems so simple now. You guys are good! I’m so glad you are on my side!” Nick exclaimed. “I feel a little better already!”
Jason and Daniel gave Nick knuckles after that statement. “All right, we figured out the exit. Now let’s work on how that creep got into your house!” Jason said. The three boys then ran downstairs to check out the doors.
“The police stated that they found no sign of force entry, no evidence of the locks being picked or jimmied in any way,” Daniel stated.
“Not only that, I am pretty sure that Mom had the locks changed after the second attack on me,” Nick said. “All the windows have locks on them or are sealed on this floor.”
“Do you have a basement, Nick?” Jason asked.
“Yes, the door to the basement is in the kitchen,” Nick answered. The boys went into the kitchen, opened the basement door, and walked down the wooden steps. “The only way out of here is through those double doors on the wall over there. They lock from the inside so you can’t open them from the outside.” The boys went over and examined the two doors which were at about a 30 degree angle from the ground and were held together by a metal bar which slid between two metal support arms.
“These doors appear to be solidly locked from the inside,” Daniel said. “Let’s go check the outside.”
Captain Garcia was talking with Sergeant Malone and the two local detectives when the three boys came out. Jason asked Captain Garcia to come with them to check out the outside cellar doors.
“These look like they are secure,” Jason said. “Is there any way to open them from the outside?”
“These doors are typically bolted from the inside,” Captain Garcia answered.
“Yes, that is what we saw,” Daniel replied. “To open them from the outside, you would need to be able to insert a blade or some thin metal object between the cracks in the doors. Right now that crack is covered over by this four inch wide wooden strip.”
“The only way to get in there would be to remove the strip,” Jason stated.
“Let’s see how difficult that is to do,” Captain Garcia said. “Nick, do you have an electric drill or screwdriver?”
After replying ‘yes’, Nick went inside the house and quickly returned with a drill set. Captain Garcia began removing the screws that held the cover strip in place. The first one was standard length and held the strip in place but the next four screws were only the depth of the board. It turned out that only two other screws were the correct depth.
“That explains how the intruder got in without touching any of the front or back doors,” Garcia concluded. ‘All he had to do was remove the three long screws and then he could put a long blade in between the crack and lift the security bar out of its locking position.”
“Of course,” Jason replied. “Once inside the basement, he just put the bar back in place, and he had the freedom of the house. When he left the building, all he had to do was exit from the kitchen door, go back to the cellar doors, and screw the cover board back on with those three screws. No one would notice that the doors had even been opened.”
Daniel then explained to Captain Garcia how the intruder was able to escape after the attack where Nick was able to shout for help.
“It’s clear that we are up against a very clever and motivated criminal,” Garcia told the boys. “I can’t stress the importance of being on guard at all times. I like the idea of you two sticking together and watching out for Nick. If you ever sense that something is wrong, don’t hesitate to call the police. Don’t try to fight this guy on your own!”
After the police finished their investigation. Jason and Daniel made up a schedule. Jason spent the rest of the day and night with Nick. The next morning, Daniel and Eric came over and spent a good portion of the day jamming and rehearsing on tunes. Jason’s father Bill picked him up before he had to go into work. At Nick’s afternoon doctor’s appointment, Dr. Foster treated his bruises and gave Nick a clean bill of health on his concussion. Then Daniel and Eric brought Nick to spend the rest of the week at Jason’s house.
Chapter 21
Diana Follows Through
(Wednesday through Friday)
It was late in the afternoon when Daniel, Eric, and Nick arrived at Jason’s house. Jason was waiting for them in the screened front porch. He was doodling on a sketch pad when they came in the screen door.
“Hey, guys, what’s happening?” Jason said with a big smile on his face. “How are you feeling, Nick? Your eye looks a lot better!”
The boys exchanged handshakes and small talk. Daniel talked about how they had fun jamming on some tunes and started to work on a few original ideas while they were at Nick’s house. “Now that Nick is going to be staying here for a while, we have decided to rehearse and work on our music every day! That will be good for you, also, Jason, as you will have free time to do other things.”
“It sounds like you have made a commitment to the band!” Jason said enthusiastically. “That’s great! Have you worked things out with your mom about joining?”
“I haven’t sat down with her and hashed things out about my musical direction, but I don’t think right now is a good time, with all of the stress that we have been under. But I am going to join the band if you guys will have me. You can count on that! Every time we play together, the music gets a little better!”
“Yeah, Nick came up with some awesome riffs for us to work on today,” Eric said with some excitement in his voice. “I really got pumped up by some of his ideas. I want to go home and practice on some of the bass lines he came up with.”
“I am so happy that things are working out for you guys musically” Jason replied. “That first rehearsal I heard where you were just jamming sounded great to me already. I can’t wait to hear what you guys will come up with for original material.”
“The fact that we have very different musical backgrounds doesn’t seem to be a negative factor at all,” Daniel stated. “It’s like we have a bigger pool of musical influences to draw on!”
“Plus this helps keep my mind
off of what happened to me,” Nick added. “Meeting you guys and becoming friends is the best thing to happen to me in a long time!”
“If anyone can help you get through what you are up against,” Eric said to Nick, “it would be Jason and Daniel. I wouldn’t be here playing bass in the band and free from a horrible abusive stepfather if it wasn’t for them!”
“That’s what we want for you, Nick,” Jason said with some determination in his voice. “Protection from the evil man who has been attacking you. We want him caught and put in jail so you can live your life free from predators and be able to play and create music!”
Upon hearing that, Daniel and Eric cheered and they both gave Nick and Jason some knuckles.
Just then, a white Prius pulled up in the driveway, and out stepped Jason’s mom, Edith. She took out a bag of groceries and walked up the steps to the porch. “Hi, everyone!” Edith said with a big smile. She handed the bag to Jason. “There are a few more bags in the back seat.” She then went over to Nick and gave him a hug. “I’m so sorry about what happened to you, and I am happy that you can stay with us for a while so you will be safe.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Hunter,” Nick replied. “I appreciate your hospitality. Everyone has been so nice to me!”
“Eric and Daniel, are you staying for dinner?”
“Sorry, I can’t, but thank you for the invitation,” Eric said. “Rebecca is coming over to my house and then we are going to see a movie tonight.”
“I have plans for later also, Mrs. Hunter,” Daniel added. “But you know I will be back soon! Thanks for the offer.” Daniel and Eric left for their homes, while Jason brought in the groceries.
Edith showed Nick where the guest room was located. “I hope you will be comfortable here. There are some empty drawers in that dresser where you can put your things.”
After dinner, Jason and Nick watched some television with Jason’s parents before going up to Jason’s room to play some video games. After playing for nearly an hour, they decided to take a break. “How are you holding up, Nick?” Jason asked. “You sure have been brave about things, but that last attack was particularly brutal and mean. Are you having flashbacks or other mental stress from it?”
“Oh, yeah, Jason. I have had nightmares every night since, and even when I am awake, the whole scene plays itself through my head. If you and Daniel hadn’t been around, I’m sure it would have been even worse!”
“Nick, I want you to know that our foundation now employs a counselor for crime victims to help them get through just what you are experiencing. His name is Dr. Louis Agoura, and he has been great. He has worked with both Eric and Tim. If you would like, I could set up a meeting for you. If you want the counseling and hit it off, my foundation will pick up the tab for it. Of course, your mom would have to give her permission also.”
“What does the counselor actually do?”
“He sits down with you one-on-one like we are doing now, and just talks things over. Dr. Agoura is especially good at working with teenagers because he is still young and doesn’t try to force you to talk about anything that you are uncomfortable with. He makes good suggestions about what you might want to talk about but patiently waits until you are ready to talk about upsetting things in your life. He is well trained in how the mind works, and can help you to understand the turmoil that is going on in your head.”
“It sounds promising. Do you really think I need that kind of help?”
“In the long run, only you can answer that question, Nick, but at this stage, given what you are fighting against, I think you need all the help you can get. You are very talented and creative, so your mind must be running at 200 miles per hour right now, given all that it has had to deal with lately. I know you are a very self-sufficient person, especially when it comes to music. To defeat this predator, however, you are going to need a team to help you. The bigger and stronger your team is, the better! You know you have your friends to stand up for you, and the police will do what they can do to catch this jerk. But this predator is especially crafty and evil. He has been deliberately playing with your head by what he has said and done during the attacks.
“He knows that he can’t defeat you in the light of day, because you have the will to resist him. That’s why he attacks you in the middle of the night in a very cowardly and frightful way. He knows he can’t defeat you in a fair fight so he always wants to get the jump on you. That’s why he has to sneak up on you in the dark, hold you down, or tie and gag you. If he can keep you off balance and defenseless that way, that’s how he can defeat you!”
“How does the counseling help with that?” Nick asked.
“It helps you to understand how your mind is processing the violence and intimidation you have experienced. Often when someone has a frightening experience like you have had, it takes a long time for your mind to deal with it. If you keep trying to repress what it is doing, you will continue to lose self-confidence and the ability to concentrate. Trust me, Nick, I know about this first hand!” Jason then took some time to tell Nick about his experiences when he was kidnapped.
“Wow, Jason, you were treated harshly by those kidnappers. I know how upset I was after a few short attacks, but you had to deal with it for five days!”
“The counselor helped me to understand some of the motivation behind what the kidnappers were trying to do, but Daniel was the person who really saved me. He made me realize that I needed to fight back and learn to control my fears. And he dropped everything he was doing to stand up for me until the case was solved and my kidnappers were in jail!”
“You are so lucky to have a friend like Daniel!”
“He is a true best friend, Nick! Now my way of repaying that debt back is to help others in similar situations. That is why I dedicated the Whatever Foundation money toward this cause. Part of that plan is to provide free counseling services, medical care, and beneficial activities like art and music for teenaged crime victims. They may not have a best friend like Daniel so this is my way to give them the chance to heal like I had.”
“After hearing those stories, I feel very grateful that Daniel and you have become my friends! Plus an added bonus is Daniel’s musical abilities and having the opportunity to play in his band.”
“You have earned our friendship and respect, Nick, by your good nature, open and friendly manner, and of course your fabulous musical ability! I pledge to you right now that we will do whatever it takes to stand up for you and get you rid of this predator who is the only blight on what seems to be a very bright future!”
For Nick, his life was like A Tale of Two Cities. It was the best of times, with his new friends and musical opportunity, and the worst of times, dealing with the mysterious predator who had now attacked him three times.
The next few days went by in a blur for Nick. Days were spent in rehearsals with Daniel and the other band members. Then he would play some basketball or baseball with Jason and sometimes Daniel or Eric. One afternoon he went swimming at Laura’s house. She was very curious to meet this new person who was occupying so much of Jason’s time lately. Soon Nick had won her and her mother Dorothy over with his big smile and friendly personality. The clincher was when he sat down at their piano and completely bowled them over with a performance of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, which he had been working on whenever he had a chance to practice by himself.
Caterina had agreed to allow Nick to meet with Dr. Agoura, and his first session was on Friday morning before the band rehearsal. Caterina was also getting to know Jason’s circle of friends. Each of them hosted a dinner for Nick and she was invited so that she would have an opportunity to be with her son. Thursday night was at Daniel’s house, and then Friday, it was Eric’s turn to host. Caterina especially enjoyed meeting Eric’s aunt, Marilyn Ferreira. They had a lot of interests in common and had a good time exchanging stories, gardening tips, and favorite recipes.
But the most exciting part of the week came on Saturday. Diana called Daniel that mornin
g and asked if she could come to their next band rehearsal. “Why sure, Diana,” Daniel said. “Are you thinking about singing with us after all?”
“Not exactly, love,” she said. “I think I have some good news that everyone will want to hear about. It’s an opportunity for your first playing job. Please keep it a secret, though. I want to see the reaction on everyone’s faces when I tell them.”
“All right, Diana,” Daniel replied. “I’ll let you have your fun. We are rehearsing at 1:00. Come over any time after then. Come around to the back of Tim’s house. Our rehearsal studio is in the lower level. See you then. And thanks! You have made my day already! I think we will be going out tonight to celebrate!”
About 1:30 the buzzer on the rear door of the studio rang. Daniel went to answer and let Diana in. After giving her a welcoming kiss, he brought her into the rehearsal area.
“Hi, everyone,” she said with a smile on her face. “I bring you good news! You know my mother has a catering business. In about a month, one of her clients is giving a large outdoor garden party to celebrate not only his mother’s birthday but also his daughter’s engagement. They asked about booking a band who could play music for all ages and would be reasonable in price. Naturally I put in a good word for you guys! So her client was all for it. He asked if you could provide him with a list of some of the songs you perform. So in the next couple of days, work up some set lists and get them back to me or my mom. You guys will each make $100 for three hours of work. What do you think, guys?”
The band members all cheered. “Thanks, Diana! You are awesome!” Eric exclaimed.
Energized by the news, Daniel and the others eagerly got back to work rehearsing their music.
Chapter 22
Family Crises
(Saturday, Sunday and Monday Morning)
Late Saturday afternoon, after her day’s work in her real estate business, Caterina came to pick up Nick. While Nick had been staying with Jason, she had gotten a lot done to improve the security at their house in San Matthias. She had pulled some strings to get an alarm system installed, had the cellar doors replaced with a new completely secure set, and hired a security service to watch the place day and night for the time being. “I don’t want to take any chances right now, Nick, and I want you to come home again,” she told him. “You can still continue to see your new friends, but you need to get back to your regular routine of practicing the piano. Plus I have really missed not having you at home.”
Family Matters Page 15
