Eyewitness News

by Aiden Vaughan

  JO: How do you go about finding teenaged crime victims?

  JH: We have a website where people can inform us about deserving cases, and sometimes people come to us directly. A number of my recent detective cases were started because of this work. We check everything out very carefully before we start an extended program of help for any individual. Unfortunately there are people out there who try to scam us.

  JO: How do you find time to do all of this good work in addition to school, sports, and the other normal activities of a high school student?

  JH: I very much rely on the dedicated staff members who work here. We also have a board of directors, and other professional consultants like lawyers and accountants who assist us in our mission.

  JO: What are the immediate goals for the Whatever Foundation in the next year or so?

  JH: We hope to continue refining our processes for finding out about deserving crime victims, and we want to vigorously pursue predatory behavior whenever we hear about it.

  JO: You certainly have done the latter in the past year. Why did you decide to become such a crusader against predators?

  JH: People who prey on innocent kids are the worst type of criminal! They strike fear into their victims, strip away their trust for adults and others, and rob them of a time in their life when they should feel free and happy to pursue fun things. Once a kid has been abused, it is a very long and difficult road to recovery!

  JO: You are very passionate on the subject, Jason!

  JH: I have seen first hand what the actions of a predator can do to a really nice kid. I know how difficult it was for that kid to get on the road to recovery. I now have the resources to go after those cruelest of all criminals. I want to pursue them until every last one of them is wiped out!

  JO: Is the pursuit of predators going to be the major focus of the Whatever Foundation?

  JH: I think that is more a personal issue for me. The main focus of the foundation will continue to be helping teenaged crime victims recover by providing needed support and enrichment programs. I especially like it when I see teens who have been victimized get involved with drawing or music. It is so cool to see the happy look on someone’s face when the foundation can put a musical instrument or a paint brush in their hand.

  JO: And that must be the most satisfying part of your foundation work, to see the results of a successful intervention.

  JH: Oh, yes. There is no better feeling in the world than knowing you were able to help someone in their time of need. Not only that, but everyone who we have assisted in some way is encouraged, even expected, to do the same for another person some time. Sort of a way of spreading the wealth!

  JO: If someone wanted to contribute money toward your foundation, how would they do that?

  JH: Actually, we are not soliciting outside contributions. The Whatever Foundation was very generously endowed so we are not in need of additional funds at this time. What I would encourage someone who wants to donate money to do, is to donate that money in their local area for an organization that helps teens. I would especially encourage you to donate to a community arts organization or sports league. Teamwork is a valuable skill for teenagers to learn. Often abused kids are kept isolated from other kids. It important that they learn the power of community and what they are capable of doing in a group situation.

  JO: Wise words indeed. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and information about the Whatever Foundation today. This is Jaime Orlando reporting for KHHT television news.

  Chapter 14

  Caterina’s Concern

  (Monday Morning)

  Monday morning Jason received a call from Nick’s mother. “I am worried about Nick lately. He seems very preoccupied and is somewhat uncommunicative. I almost have to pry him out of his room to eat meals. When I ask him what he is doing all day, he just says that he is working on his music. If he is, it is to the neglect of everything else in his life! His room is a mess, and I have to nag him to put on clean clothes! Can you come over and talk to him? Can you find out what is going on in his life right now?”

  “Sure, Mrs. Poulos. I will come over for a visit. Maybe I’ll bring Daniel along too. He hasn’t said anything about Nick missing any band rehearsals, so we weren’t aware of any problem.”

  Later that morning Jason and Daniel knocked on Nick’s front door. Caterina answered and let them in. “Hello, Jason and Daniel. Thanks for coming over. I hope I am not being an overly protective mother, but this is pretty unusual behavior for Nick. Usually he is much more outgoing and cheerful. Lately, he has been acting very serious, and like I said on the phone, pretty much neglecting everything else in his life!”

  “It sounds like Nick is working on some sort of project,” Jason replied. Then to Daniel he said, “Let’s go talk to him and see what he is up to.” The boys then went up to Nick’s room. The door was shut. They knocked on the door.

  “Can we come in, Nick!” Daniel exclaimed. “It’s Daniel and Jason!”

  “Just a minute,” they heard in reply from the inside. About 30 seconds later, the door opened. Nick was at the door, very haggard looking. He was wearing a dirty tee shirt and a pair of elastic shorts. There were papers and clothing scattered all over the floor.

  “Oh, hi guys,” Nick said in greeting. “I didn’t know you were coming over. Excuse the mess but I have been busy working.” Jason and Daniel came in, stepping carefully to avoid the mess on the floor. Nick began picking up papers and clothing, so there was more room to maneuver in the room.

  “What’s going on, Nick?” Jason asked. “Your mom is all concerned about you!”

  “She is?” Nick replied. “I don’t know why. It’s not like I have been running around partying all day and night!”

  “What have you been doing then?” Jason followed up.

  “I’ve been working on some music,” Nick answered. “It’s all because of you, Jason. You suggested the idea to me and now I am consumed with it. I have been working non-stop day and night to write it all down.”

  Jason came up to Nick and put his arm around him. “Nick, that’s wonderful! I am so proud of you. This has to be very therapeutic for you, but at the same time it must be emotionally draining!”

  Meanwhile Daniel had picked up some of the music sheets and was studying one of them. “This looks like some amazing stuff, Nick. Are you writing a Requiem?”

  “Yes, I am writing it for those kids who were kidnapped, abused and killed. Jason said that only I could talk for them. Once I started thinking and working out some ideas, I felt that they were talking to me. Not directly like ghost voices or anything but I feel a strong emotional connection! As I remember the things that were done to me by Angelo and Sal, it is like electricity going through my mind and body. No one was there for those other kids when they were tortured and abused! No one was there when they died! No one was there when they were buried! Now all of these emotions are tumbling out to me and I am trying to write them down in words and music!”

  Daniel continued to study some of the music pages that he had picked up. “Are you writing this for our band, Nick?”

  “Yes, our band is the main voice for the kids. But there also is orchestra, band and choir who perform parts of an actual requiem mass and passages that represent parts of a requiem.”

  “Wow, this music looks really cool, but at the same time very complicated. Can you play some of it for me?”

  “Oh yes, Daniel. It is very intense. Sometimes I have to take a break from it because I find myself emotionally drained or tears are streaming down my face!”

  Nick and Daniel soon were engrossed in talking about the music and the role of the band. Eventually they decided to go down to the living room so Nick could play some of the ideas.

  Jason went back downstairs also, but to talk to Caterina. “Don’t worry too much about Nick,” he told her. “He is in the middle of creating something very special, and very important to him spiritually. He is writing a composition in the memory of the other kids w
ho were kidnapped and killed. He feels a special bond to them because he came so close to joining them! I also think that this has to be a very important step to finally putting that whole horrible time in his life behind him!”

  “I still worry about him, although it is a relief to find out that he is okay. And again it reminds me of the debt that our family owes to you, Jason!”

  “I already told Nick and let me tell you that having Nick back as a friend and being able to hear his music is repayment enough for me. And in your case, that week in the beach house was essential to my personal recovery. You certainly paid for any so-called debt already by what you did for me, Laura, Daniel and Diana! That week will always be special in my life! You two don’t owe me anything but the pleasure of your company!

  “Now as far as Nick goes, just be a little more accommodating as his mom! Help him through this important time by anticipating his needs a little more! Make it easy for him to do his work by bringing him meals, making sure he changes his clothes, takes an occasional shower, you know the routine! Right now that side of his life isn’t important to Nick. But eventually he will get everything written down and he will return to his normal existence.”

  “You are really a true friend to Nick, Jason!”

  “What we went through together has bonded us together in a way that makes us friends for life! We could be separated from each other for ten or twenty years, but the minute we got together again that special bond would be right there!”

  As they were finishing their conversation, suddenly music began coming out of the living room. The sound was powerful and new, nothing like the classical pieces that Nick usually played on the big grand piano. Jason and Caterina looked at each other and then went and peeked into the living room. Nick was engrossed in showing Daniel some of the music he had been composing. The music was simple yet at the same time haunting.

  After he finished playing some of the music, Nick explained to Daniel that those themes represented the young kids. “Some of it represents their innocence, that gradually builds into despair as the hopelessness of their captivity begins to wear on them.”

  “These lyrics are incredibly powerful,” Daniel replied as he looked through some of the sheets. “This first verse really gets to me already! These lines from the Lament are gut wrenching!”

  Daniel tried singing a chorus and verse of the melody as Nick accompanied him on the piano.

  Chorus: Elijah, Elijah, Elijah, can you hear my prayer?

  Elijah, Elijah, does anyone out there care?

  Verse 1:

  Down here in the darkness and the cold

  I am trapped inside this evil lair,

  Beaten and restrained from active life

  My days are now filled with despair.

  How much more pain can my body take?

  How much more fear can my mind absorb?

  Why has my life become so unfair?

  Other children out there please beware!

  Repeat Chorus

  When Daniel finished singing, Jason and Caterina burst into applause. Startled, Nick looked back at the doorway where his mother and Jason were standing.

  “I didn’t know you were listening,” he said. “This isn’t finished by any means. I am just getting started!”

  “Those lyrics gave me goose bumps!” Jason exclaimed. “You have captured the exact feeling that I had, and obviously you had, down in Angelo’s cave. And you made me think of those other poor kids!” Jason walked over to Nick and squeezed Nick’s shoulder for a moment. Nick was staring at the keyboard. “You really are doing it, aren’t you? You are speaking for those kids!”

  “Ever since I started this project,” Nick replied, still looking down, “I can’t do much of anything else! I mean, I go to scheduled things like our band rehearsals, but the rest of my days are consumed by this music!

  “What you are doing is pure genius!” Daniel interjected. “This is real quality writing. Your vocal lines fit my voice range perfectly, and like Jason I was starting to feel goose bumps just singing through it the first time!”

  “Nicolo, honey, I have really been worried about you the past few days!” his mother Caterina said, interrupting the boys. “You aren’t eating or taking care of yourself! I have seen you preoccupied with your music before, especially when getting ready for a recital, but never like this!”

  “Don’t worry about me, Mom!” Nick replied. “I am fine, really I am! I feel like I am giving birth to something. I feel a real communion with the other victims. I feel that their souls are still in agony and this music is a way to release them from their pain!”

  “Mrs. Poulos, is there some issue here at home? Is Nick not doing his chores or whatever?” Daniel asked. “Because if that is the case, I will be happy to come over and help do them! But let Nick get this writing done!”

  “No, that’s not the problem, and helping Nick do chores around here isn’t necessary,” Mrs. Poulos answered. “Everything is being taken care of, Daniel, but thanks for asking.” Addressing her son, she added, “Nicolo, I want you to remember to eat and wash up every day. It just takes a few minutes. I will help you clean up and even bring food to your room, if you are too preoccupied to come downstairs to the kitchen. But you have to take care of yourself!”

  “I will Mom, I will!” Nick exclaimed. “Thanks for being patient with me. This writing is super important to me, and I have to do it!”

  Caterina came over and gave Nick a little kiss on the cheek. “And you are very important to me, Nicolo! I cannot bear the thought of anything else happening to you!”

  “Mom, you are embarrassing me in front of my friends!” Nick replied with exasperation in his voice.

  “Isn’t that what the moms of teenaged boys are for!” Caterina said with a laugh.

  “It’s okay, Nick,” Jason said. “We understand. Daniel and I are only children too!”

  Chapter 15

  Scott Moves In

  (Tuesday)

  Tuesday morning Jonathan Kowalski woke up around 8:30, took a quick shower, dressed and went to the kitchen to see if there was any breakfast available. He was lucky this morning. There still was about a cup of milk left in the carton, and there was some cereal left in the box he had purchased at the store last week. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and milk, then looked to see if there was any fresh fruit in the refrigerator. No luck there, so Jonathan sat down and ate the cereal plain.

  About 9:15, Jonathan’s mother Madeline came into the kitchen. There were dark circles under her eyes and she looked quite haggard in appearance.

  “Good morning,” Jonathan said in a cheerful voice. “How are you today?”

  “I’m a little under the weather, I think,” his mother replied in a gravelly voice.

  “When did you get in last night?” Jonathan asked. “I finally went to bed at 11:30. I got tired of waiting up for you.”

  “That was sweet of you, Jonathan, but you didn’t need to worry about me. Scott brought me home around one o’clock.”

  “Scott!” Jonathan replied with some anger in his voice. “Were you out doing drugs again, Mom? I thought you promised me that you would stop!”

  “Oh, I will someday, Jonathan, but not right now! You know I don’t drink but I do like to get high every now and then. Scott has the best meth rocks I have ever had.”

  “I really wish you would stop hanging around with low-life drug dealers, Mom! I need a mom around, not some spaced out junkie!” Jonathan exclaimed.

  “Sorry I can’t be the perfect mom that you want right now, honey. Things have really been a struggle since your father left us.”

  “I understand that things have been rough on you, Mom, but it is time to move on. We still have each other at least,” Jonathan said with a little hope in his voice.

  Madeline went over and gave Jonathan a little hug and kiss. “Jonathan, you are the best thing in my life. I hope you know that!”

  Jonathan smiled back at her, “I don’t have anyone else, eith
er, Mom! That’s why I am so concerned about you! Will we be able to go to the store today? We are out of just about everything.”

  “I don’t know if I will have time today, honey. I have some news for you. Scott will be coming over today. I think he wants to live with us for a while. Then we should have more food around the house.”

  “Mom, why do you trust that guy? I don’t understand what you could possibly see in him other than a source for drugs! And that’s the last thing you need right now.”

  “Jonathan, I need to have a man around to be happy. Right now Scott is filling that role in my life.”

  “Mom, what has happened to you? You used to enjoy listening to music, decorating the house, cooking great recipes, and being outgoing with people! Now all you seem to want to do is lay low, and do drugs! That’s all Scott seems to care about too! And now you want him to live in our house!”

  Jonathan stomped off to his room, shut the door, and took out his saxophone. At least I have my music, he though to himself. I don’t know what to do about Mom any more. I’m really worried about her. But if I go for help and the authorities take me away, I’m doomed, too. I don’t want to live with my grandparents. There is nothing to do in the small valley town where they live, and I don’t want to become a farm boy. I don’t want to live in some foster care home with a bunch of strangers away from my friends here, either! I have got to figure out a way to get Mom off of drugs. I wish I knew how to persuade her to seek help for her addiction.