BUILD A BETTER BOY TRUISM #11: Make an effort to give up drinking alcohol and smoking. If he never sees you doing these types of things it will hold less mystery for him.


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Last Time: There in the hallway, Darden listened close to the structure he was encompassed in. No floorboards groaned. No shadows actuated. And, no bells echoed a ting-a-ling. Darden knew his past was now his present. Mustering all of his strength, he forced himself to enter Drew Larsen's bedroom.


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Case Detectives assigned to the Larsen family murders had left Drew Larsen's bedroom much more disheveled than the thirteen-year-old boy commonly preserved his sleeping quarters in. There was nothing undisturbed. This was the shambles Darden walked into.

Dresser drawers were yanked out of the chiffonier. A digital alarm clock stood majestically on the nightstand by the bed. When the detective searched under the full-sized mattress, the airplane-illustrated spread fell to the floor.

Darden rummaged through the entire room including the closet. There he found the boy's assorted school clothes, slacks, and three pairs of black dress shoes. Next he explored the contents of the nightstand, highboy, and finally Drew Larsen's wooden study desk.

Prior to adopting a taste for slaughtering his family, the boy's varied interests included non-violent video games. Luigi Clear and Rundertow, both of which were produced by Mario Brothers, seemed to be his favorites. He also preferred ESPN and Sports Illustrated magazines. A wooden bookcase in the far corner of the room contained his Westerns and Hardy Boys series of books. There was nothing to indicate Drew Larsen possessed a violent nature.

Darden turned his attention to the Dell computer on the boy's workstation. The current policy of the Lafayette Police Department, in murder cases of this nature, was to make a full backup copy of each document in the directory for later review instead of confiscating the entire hard drive.

Because of Drew Larsen's confession, this task had not been accomplished. Therefore, it was conceivable to the detective that what was contained there might never be known. Darden turned the computer on and searched for interesting words he thought might appeal to a boy of Drew Larsen's age.

He found a document the boy called DARDEN. This file contained downloadable photographs from a site dedicated to serial killers. Among them, there was Ted Bundy, who admitted to murdering more than 30 young women, John Wayne Gacy, Junior, who was convicted of murdering 33 young boys in his heyday, and Otis Jackson.

The document grabbed Darden's attention in a vice grip. His picture was included on the site because he was the law enforcement officer who killed Jackson. An oppressive atmosphere settled over the house. Humid air repressed his breathing. Incessantly feeling as though his every movement was being monitored, he listened to the imposing calmness that engulfed him.

Darden's find indicated Drew Larsen patterned his killing spree after Otis Jackson's slaughter of the Lancaster family. Chillingly, he then located photographs of his wife, Louise, and their twin sons Ricky and Ryan.

Darden closed and exited the document he'd opened. Quickly, his disquiet grew into fear. He shivered. The detective was not concerned about the negative misconceptions associated with the dreaded word. He knew the feeling could be rather useful as long as fear did not develop into paralyzing indecision.

Drew Larsen could not escape from the hospital he was confined in, even if he wanted to. The psychiatric board would never list him as cured, nor would they ever set him free. Still, Darden's survival instinct initiated, reverberated, then droned non-stop.

That was when he heard a frightening, loud, voice call his name.

"Sean!"

Although his first name had never been supplied to the boy prior to his arrival at the mental institute, Drew Larsen had addressed him in that manner.

Darden's cellphone rang insistently. He did not answer the page. Bizarrely, the call was not sent to voice mail. Finally, he answered the call.

"Darden," he said.

There was no reply.

"Who is this?" he demanded.

The line was not dead. The caller did not respond. Darden knew the best way to engage in a game of intimidation was to play by the intimidator's rules. He listened to the receiver, but did not provide the caller the satisfaction of any further conversation.

Suddenly, a single word transmitted down the line.

It was a frigid, "Revenge!"

Not expecting what he heard, Darden froze. He extinguished the call and made his way out of the house. In the broadness of the murky night, the detective drove home to his family.

Cast of Characters:

Detective Sean Darden - Lead Investigator of the Larsen family murders.

Drew Larsen - Thirteen-year-old boy who confessed to the brutal slayings of his family members. The question remained, did he?

Louise Darden - Detective Darden's wife.

Ricky and Ryan Darden - Detective Darden's twin sons.

Ted Bundy - Real life serial killer of young women.

John Wayne Gacy, Junior - Real life serial killer of young men.

Otis Jackson - Murdered the Lancaster family twenty years before this story occurs.