Frank's lip curled up as his worried face turned murderous and red. Jack re-entered the room, a look of complete helplessness on his face. "Brace yourself," Frank said to Jack, as he motioned for Adam to tell him what he knew.
"We found this," Adam told his father as he threw the shirt to him, "in the barn, along with Kendricks. I chased him across our land, but lost him at the tree line. I know where he lives. We need to do something now."
As soon as Jack heard the name Kendricks his sanity began to flicker out of sight. He didn't say a word as a black veil fell across his eyes, rage erupting throughout his veins. Quickly, he turned from the room, grabbed his keys off a peg in the foyer, and bolted out the door. Frank chased after his friend, but he couldn't keep up with Jack's fast gait towards his truck.
"Wait, Jack! I will go! You stay here in case she comes back!"
"I will kill him, Frank! If he's laid so much as a finger on her, I will kill him!"
"Don't say shit like that, it can be misconstrued," Frank warned.
"What's to be misconstrued?! If so much as a hair is out of place on her head, I will murder the bastard!" declared Jack, rage pouring out in his body language and in every move he made. Jack violently opened the driver side door to his truck and slammed the door shut. Before Frank could stop him, Jack was barreling down the dirt road towards the highway.
"Shit!" Frank screamed, fists clenched into balls. “What the hell am I supposed to do now?!”
He asked the question in vain as he knew exactly what he had to do. "Adam! Go get my keys. Liam, can you carefully load my Remington into the trunk? I have to make a call."
Adam and Liam nodded in agreement, and as their uncle stormed off into the house to make his call, the pair looked at each other in shock. From the foyer, Frank could be heard screaming at someone on the telephone in a muffled bark, followed by the sound of a phone being thrown back into the cradle. Adam and Liam hustled as their uncle came back out into the foyer. "Who were you talking to, Uncle Frank?"
"I put everyone at Trafford’s on alert that Bulldog's gonna pay them a visit, and he better have all his boys accounted for!"
The boys had heard stories about their uncle in his earlier years. Bulldog is what the guys in town called Frank, due to his gruff appearance, and tough-as-nails exterior when someone pissed him off. Everybody in town knew that Frank was Jack's right-hand man, and that if you threatened Jack or any of the Morrows, you had Bulldog to deal with. They had heard plenty of stories, but never believed them to be true. As an uncle, Frank was kind and gentle, but he wasn't someone you wanted to cross. They were starting to see why.
"Liam, you stay here with them. They are underage, I can’t leave them alone. Adam you're riding with me. I need your help. Shane, Tommy and Blake, you are ALL to stay behind and wait for Aunt Bridgette to come home. Keep the doors and windows locked. We need people here keeping an eye out in case she comes home. Stay together and if you see him you know what to do! Liam, call the cops, tell them what we know." He spoke with a bark, as a dangerous scowl covered his face.
"Dad, we can help! Let us come!" Shane begged, but he was silenced by a fierce rejection from his father.
"What did I just say?! Stay here and look for your cousin. I need you here!"
With that, Frank swung open the front door and made a beeline for the Dodge, with Adam following on his heels. With a screech, Frank sped out of the driveway as Liam slammed the front door shut with a bang.
Adam watched his uncle from the passenger seat of the Dodge as Frank maneuvered the turns of the pass at top speed. He had never seen his uncle this angry before.
"Did she ever mention anything about Kendricks?"
"Not to me specifically. Tommy told me before that Kendricks liked to keep her after class a lot, and she would always come out looking upset. Then all this crap with the school assignment came up..."
"I'm going to tell you straight out, I don't like this one bit. Your father's going to wind up getting himself arrested before we even have a clue as to where she is or what the hell is going on! And Kendricks, of all people..."
"It’s like 1981 all over again."
Frank glanced over at his nephew for a moment, and against his better judgment let out an unamused chuckle.
"Stole the words right out of my mouth. So, kid, you know where he lives?"
Adam looked over at his uncle with a deeply satisfied grin, "Sure do."
“Let’s go.”
*
The dodge came to a slow stall outside 10 Farringer Drive in Elkhart.
“That’s where he lives?” Frank asked, looking at the building speculatively. The building looked like it should be condemned.
Adam replied, “Yeah. Melissa lives next door.”
“You’re sure?” Frank asked, wanting to make sure he had the address correct.
“Positive.”
“Tell your girlfriend to keep an eye and ear out. In the mean time let’s go get your father before he gets himself arrested.”
*