BUILD A BETTER BOY TRUISM #2: You're his Dad. He needs you. Be there for him.


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Last Time: Thirteen-year-old Drew Larsen confessed in a 9-1-1 telephone call to the coldblooded murders of his family. The question remained, did he?


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The mental institution stood somberly on top of an oak savanna butte. Like a sentry on duty, it was silhouetted beneath a sky-high golden sun, and located east of the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. This offered a spectacular view of the wide, meandering, South Yamhill River.

Separating the inbound entrance from the outbound entrance, a row of cedar trees lined the approach road of the austere fortress. Their low-lying canopies overhung the car as Detective Darden pulled up to the hospital's entrance door. Once there, he parked his cruiser under the portico. His conscience coated by the heinous transgressions the young teen Drew Larsen was arraigned on.

Making his way inside the sliding glass doors that opened as he accessed them, Darden noticed a resplendent, ginger-haired, receptionist seated behind a glass-top desk. Stephanie McAlister's attire was business casual, and included a long-sleeved, white, button-down blouse. Below her tight waist she wore a navy blue knee high skirt and satin pumps. Despite her physical attractiveness, she reeked of the Marlboro cigarettes she'd puffed on her break.

Abashed by Darden's observation, she meekly explained, "A nervous habit."

"One you need to kick," he thought to himself, but did not say the words.

The receptionist examined the detective's credentials. Satisfied, she called an escort for him over the hospital's intercom system. Meanwhile, Darden signed his name and badge number on the visitors register. A standard procedure for the facility.

Darden could tell the receptionist coveted any information about Drew Larson he would divulge to her. There would be no gossip spread. Impatiently, he awaited the arrival of Jeremiah Brownlee, the paged Orderly, who would usher him to the fifth floor.

Enormous, like a bull elephant, the dark-skinned Brownlee's white uniform looked freshly pressed. His pride in his profession evident. Riding the elevator as it ascended on its climb, the week of rainy weather Lafayette had endured became the topic of discussion between the two men. They also conferred about the self-possession of the Orderly, and Brownlee's one gold tooth. At no time did the murders, or Drew Larsen's alleged insanity, enter their conversation.

The elevator door opened to a small vestibule. There, a corpulent guard encountered them as they stepped out into a capacious atrium. His uniform was excessively starched, and his black shoes polished to a perceptive shine. Upon their appearance, he laid the Sports Illustrated magazine he'd been scanning through down on top of the double pedestal desk where he roosted.

"You armed?" he questioned Darden.

The guard's brass nameplate stated he was "Trigg". It was the minor details Darden observed first. The custom served him well.

Darden responded to the guard's question with a simple, "My service revolver."

"You'll have to give it up so I can secure your weapon for you while you're inside with the patient," Trigg told him.

The Detective unholstered his pistol, and handed the firearm to the guard. In turn, Trigg pressed a button on the Crestron touch screen on his computer. The action released the secured electronic lock for the door to his right. Jeremiah Brownlee ambled into the spacious corridor. It possessed white walls, and a white ceiling with fluorescent panels. Darden followed.

(To Be Continued:)

Cast of Characters:

Detective Sean Darden - Police Officer investigating the brutal murders of the Larsen family.

Drew Larsen - 13-year-old boy who confessed to the coldblooded executions of his family members.

Jeremiah Brownlee - Orderly at the mental institution who escorted Detective Darden while he was on the hospital's property.

Stephanie McAlister - Receptionist for the mental institution.

Security Officer Trigg - Fifth floor guard at the sanitarium who allowed Darden access to Drew Larsen.