A Pleasant Story

Chapter Eighteen

Heart Broken




Dustin jumped off the school bus, proudly holding ANOTHER A+ report card. This new plan for his life was going really well! He skipped up the stairs and into the house, eager to share his good news with his Mom.





He heard Tom crying in his crib as he opened the door.

He called out, "Mom? Where are. . . "

And then he saw her.






Dustin panicked and ran out of the house into the yard.

"HELP ME!" he yelled, but no one was near enough to hear him.

He suddenly remembered his phone, and called Carla.






She arrived quickly and tried to understand what Dustin was shouting in his panic.

"Okay, stay here," she told him. "I'll check out the house."


Carla entered the house carefully and confirmed her worst fear.

Brandi was dead.

She ran outside and grabbed Dustin tightly.

"I am so sorry," she repeated over and over, while he cried in her arms.







She suddenly remembered the baby, and phoned Kaylie to come over right away.








Carla began securing the crime scene, which included preventing Dustin from running back into the house.

"Dustin, we need to stay out until the investigators get here so that all the evidence will be preserved," she told him.

"Kaylie will just be a minute," she continued, "and she can go in and get the baby because she's an officer of the court. She's connected to social services."






Kaylie arrived just as Carla explained this, and went into the house to care for Tom. She changed his dirty diaper, and although she didn't want to walk near Brandi's body, she knew he needed a bottle. She took a deep breath and carefully walked to the refrigerator, stepping so as not to disturb any evidence.

Tom's cries subsided as his hungry belly was filled, and she cuddled him against her neck.

"Poor baby," she cooed. "Don't worry. Don't worry."







Kaylie brought Tom outside and handed him to Dustin. "Here's your brother. He was fine--just a little hungry. Could you hold him for a moment? I have some calls I need to make."

Dustin complied, and held Tom tightly, so tightly that he almost began to cry again.







Kaylie was suddenly overwhelmed. Crime scenes were nothing new to her; she'd been in training for the law for a long time. But this was the first time it had happened to someone she knew, and to a family that she felt so close to.

She recovered herself enough to phone the social services people to explain about the orphaned boys and the baby. They said they'd send someone over.





Carla was finishing her calls to the crime scene investigators, and Kaylie walked over to her.

"Can you believe this happened to Brandi?" she said. "Why would anyone want to hurt such a nice person?"




"That's what we're going to try to find out," Carla answered.


Kaylie then turned to her. "Oh Carla, I don't want those kids to go to some foster care, or an orphanage. Do you think we could take them?"

Carla grabbed her and hugged her. "That's another reason I'm glad you married me. Do you think we can qualify with social services? Will they let us?"







Kaylie nodded. "I'm pretty sure--I'll call them again after I talk to Dustin. He may have other ideas, but I don't want him to have to worry about his brothers. Or himself."

Kaylie walked over to talk to Dustin about the plan as the investigators arrived and began surveying the crime scene.

She explained to him that she and Carla would like him and his brothers to come live with them, and that she'd make the arrangements unless he had another idea.

"I know you are very close with Nina and Dina--would you rather live with them?"

Dustin shook his head. "I don't think so. Dina's getting married soon and Nina is out at night a lot. I think it would be better to stay with you and Carla."

Kaylie told him she'd make the arrangements, then both of them stared at the street as the school bus arrived.





"Oh no," Dustin said. "I have to tell him. Here," he said, as he handed Tom to Kaylie.

Beau looked around in confusion at the police vehicles and ambulance parked near their house, then saw his brother.

"Hey Dustin, what's going on?" he asked.






Dustin walked up to him slowly as the school bus pulled away and said softly, "I don't know how to tell you this, bro, but Mom's gone."

"Gone?" asked Beau? "Where's she gone?"


Dustin took a deep breath as he answered, "I'm sorry. She's not . . . gone. She's . . . died."

Beau's eyes teared up immediately. "Why, Dustin? Why did she die?" he cried to his brother.





Dustin grabbed him in a hug. "We don't know yet. That's why the police are here. They're going to try and find out what happened."

"What . . . what's going to happen to us?" Beau sniffed.






"Carla and Kaylie said we can stay with them," Dustin told him. "That would be okay, right?"

Beau nodded as he wiped his eyes. "I guess so."

Kaylie walked up to them with Tom and said, "Beau, I need to walk over to our house to meet Anthony off the school bus. Will you come with me? We'll have to wait until later to come back and get your things.






Beau nodded sadly and took hold of her outstretched hand. "Are you coming, Dustin?"

Dustin replied, "I'll come in a minute. I want to ask Carla some things."

Kaylie nodded and said, "Okay, we'll see you soon. Take your time." She walked down the sidewalk with Tom in one arm and holding Beau's hand with the other.

Dustin didn't really have any questions; he just needed a moment alone.

"Oh Mom" he cried.






When Carla had finished giving information to the medical examiner and the investigators, she told Dustin he should come home with her now. Dustin told her he just needed another moment and that he would follow soon.




Carla nodded and turned to leave as the sun set on the worst day in all their lives.

Dustin gathered his strength and began to walk to the house next door, then heard a noise at the door of his house that made him turn. The paramedics were beginning to exit the house, and he knew who they’d soon be carrying with them.






"Bye Mom," he said under his breath. He turned and ran the rest of the way to his new home.

When he arrived, he found the rest of them talking about the sleeping arrangements.

Anthony was saying, "Beau can stay with me in my space room! It's really cool and we can get a matching bed!"





Anthony then told Beau how there was plenty of room for him and he would love to share.





Carla apologized to Dustin for the lack of space and explained that they could put his bed in the hallway just for now, and put a crib for Tom in the big bedroom.

Dustin said he didn't care.

Carla nodded, but reassured him they'd make better arrangements soon.

"There's something else I need to ask you about, Dustin," Carla said. "Kaylie told me your Mom was wearing a striking necklace when she had dinner with her, but we didn't find a necklace with her . . . with her body. Do you know where she would put it if she wasn't wearing it?"

Dustin shook his head. "I'm not sure. I could go look in her room, I guess."





Carla replied, "We need to stay out of the house until the investigators are done. We want to make sure they can gather all the evidence and that we don't disturb anything. I'll call them and let them know to be on the lookout for the necklace."

A few hours later, they got the call from the police that they could go back to the house. It was very late, so Kaylie told Dustin they could go over in the morning before school, on her way to work, if he still felt like going.

"I'm sure you've got some things you'd like to take with you from there."

"Yeah," he said, "I guess."

They walked over to the house together the next morning, and Dustin immediately walked into his bedroom and looked at the bed his Mom had bought for him.





He then went through his Mom's bedroom and the bathroom looking for the necklace, but didn't find it.

When he'd dried his eyes, he walked into the kitchen where Kaylie was looking at the cow on his kitchen counter.

"Where did that cow come from, Dustin?" she asked.

"I dunno," he said. "I don't care."

"Do you remember how long it has been here?" she asked him.







"Nah. I don't. Can I go now? I made a list of what I want moved over to your house."

He handed the list to her.

"Oh Dustin," Kaylie said as she accepted it. "I am so sorry about this. I want you to know you can talk to me anytime." She opened her arms to give him a hug, but he recoiled backwards.







"You're not my Mom!" he cried out angrily, and pushed her away. He ran out the door to go to school.


Kaylie looked after him sadly. She knew it would take time. She looked at the cow again and picked it up to examine. Something was odd about that cow and she intended to find out what.






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Samael Abbadon stood before her nervously and said, "I have the necklace."




She stood and stepped in front of him. "Well?"







He held it out to her. She glanced down at it, then looked up at him in disbelief.


"How stupid are you? This isn't the necklace! This looks nothing like the missing one!"







Samael stuttered, "But Carl said . . . he said he saw it." His voice trailed off.


"Oh, 'Carl said he saw it,' did he?" she said in a mocking tone. "Get out of here and send in Asmodeus."


Samael left and told his brother she wanted to see him.


Asmodeus stood before his sister Yukionna and asked, "What are your orders?"







"Samael just killed a woman for the wrong necklace. He's put us all at risk. I want you to take him to the island."


Asmodeus nodded. "Right away."


"And Asmodeus," she continued, "I NEVER want to see him again. Do you understand?"

He nodded again.