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Full of Grace
Trey had taken over a big conference room at Orlando City Hall and it was now
being used as a command post in the search for Nick and Stefanie.
The room was bustling withPeople were in and out. Trey had brought Matt and
six other of his top assistants with him to Orlando. They were at the big map
of Orlando that was pinned up on the wall when I walked in.
Trey and I hugged. I said, "Man, I'm glad you're here." Trey said, "I
wouldn't be anywhere else, Kev. "
Trey took me by the arm and led me off away from everyone.
"Kev, don't take this the wrong way but how are you so certain that Nick is
still alive?"
"I saw him, Trey, and I heard him. He was laying on this cement floor. His
face was beaten and swollen. I thought he was dead at first but then he said
my name."
Trey just looked at me. I knew he was wondering if the stress of this ordel
was cracking me up mentally.
"Trey, I'm not cracking up. I can't explain it but Nick and I have this
bond. I saw him laying on that floor as clearly as I'm seeing you right now."
Trey nodded his head, "I believe you Kevin. I admire you for being so strong
through this Kev. I'm damn proud to have you as my friend and I know Nick
feels the same way about you."
I turned my head to hide my tears but I was not fast enough. Trey pulled me
back into his arms and held me while I cried. Neither one of us said
anything. I couldn't stop the tears and Trey just let them fall.
Finally I got a grip and pulled away from him, "Thank you, Trey. I'm ok now.
What's the game plan? What is the swat team doing?"
I followed Trey back over to the map. Doug pointed to a big red "x" that he'd
just drawn on the map.
"What's that?", I asked.
"Stefaine's house. She was raised in that house and that's where the murders
occured."
"You haven't checked it out already?! That seems like the most logical place
to look."
"Mr. Richardson - Kevin. We checked it out first thing and found nothing but
I've got this feeling now. We're going back to recheck it."
"I'm going with you."
Doug looked at Trey, who said, "Kev, wait here. There is no telling what
they will find there. You don't need to put yourself in any more danger." I
glared at the both of them, "You can take me with you, Doug, or I'm going on
my own. I will be there when you bring Nick out. He'll be looking for me."
Doug and Trey exchanged looks again. Trey nodded his head okay. After a
moment, Doug said, "Ok, you can come but don't misunderstand me. You get in
my way of me doing my job and I'll shoot your ass." I looked him in the eye
and said, "Understood."
The house was on an over grown lot in a run down part of Orlando. Anybody
who use to live in this part of town had either moved on to hopefully
something better or had died. The house was a one story wood frame house and
it looked like it should be a haunted house or something. The front porch
was sagging. The shutters over the windows were gone. The paint was
peeling. As I sat there watching the swat team move in I wondered why the
house hadn't been torn down after the blood bath that had occurred there so
many years ago there.
I didn't realize I had been holding my breath while the team moved into the
house. But when Doug stepped to the front door and waved for me to come
there I let out a breath and ran as hard as I could to the house.
Doug said, "He's not here but we did find something." I followed him into
what had once been a living room at one time. At first I just noticed the
wire coming in from the window and the tv that was there. Then I realized
the tv was on and playing. "What the fuck?", I mumbled.
And I froze.
There on the tv screen was Nick. He was hanging from a cross like he was
Jesus. His head was hanging down, resting on his chest. He had nothing on
but a pair of boxers. He was bloody and bruised from head to toe.
I sank to my knees and somewhere in my mind I wondered who was screaming so
loud. It was almost an animalistic scream. I wondered what kind of pain a
person was feeling to scream that way. But then I realized I was the one
screaming.
Doug said, "This was taped to the tv screen when we came in." He handed me a
handwritten note.
Kevin,
You have four 3 hours to find me. I liked burning your house down so much I
think I want to try something else. Notice what's at the bottom of the cross.
Stefanie
I looked back at the tv screen and saw the pile of wood that was stacked at
the base of the cross. Doug said, "This was also here." I looked at him and
he held a lighter in his hands.
"Oh God, no." I got up and ran outside, dropping to my knees again as my
stomach heaved up it's contents. I heaved and heaved until there was nothing
left. I felt someone helping me to my feet and I looked. It was Doug. He
said, "Looks like she has him in an abonded church. Let's head back to the
command post and start searching." I nodded my head numbly as he helped me
back to the swat van.
After awhile I asked, "Have you ever seen anyone burned before?" Doug said,
"Yeah, I have. More times than I'd care to remember. It's not a pretty sight
at all Kevin. Most people can't imagine what a burn victim goes through,
what they look like. I hope you and Nick won't have to know about that first
hand."
Back at the command post we all went to work looking for the abonded
churches. Matt found a total of 23 scattered from one end of Orlando to
another. I groaned, "Oh, god, there isn't enough time to search them all."
Trey picked up the thick file on Stefaine and spread it out on the table.
"It's here in the file, Kev. Whatever church she is at has some kind of
special meaning to her." Trey was right.
Together we scanned every sheet of paper in her criminal record. It told her
life story from the day she was born up until she killed her family. Finally
Trey hollered, "I got it. St. Mary's Sacred Heart out on Line Road. That
was the church her parents were married in, the church where Stefaine was
baptised in, and the church where her family's funeral was held." "Oh my
God" was all I could say.
Doug hollered to his swat team members, "Let's go!"
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