Background
Thirteen-year-old Drew Larsen confessed to the brutal slayings of his family members. The question remained, did he?
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BUILD A BETTER BOY TRUISM #9:
Read to him nightly. He'll love it, and the adventures you two can share together through the world of reading are endless.
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Last Time: Having read the discovery surrounding the case, Darden learned the most important matters in Emily Larsen's life had been the strength of matrimony, the significance of her family, and setting a good example for her two children. All gratifications the boy deprived her of.
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Detective Darden observed the turquoise numbers in the digital display of the microwave. They flashed 2p.m.. He backed away from the blood he'd espied and entered the living room of the house. He noticed the Brayala swivel recliner Mark Larsen had been beaten to death with a baseball bat in. It was brown leather.
The chair set along the far wall facing the 42-inch flat screen television. This placed his back to the entrance of the living room. On the cocktail table, Darden discerned an assortment of unpaid bills. Perhaps Mark Larsen had been distracted by the notices when Drew noiselessly approached, his lethal weapon cocked and ready.
Darden noticed there was enough room between the recliner and the wall for the boy to have a full swing at the back of his father's cranium. He recalled Drew Larsen's callous comment regarding the murder.
Simply stated, it was "Batter's up!"
Blood splatter stained the white wall behind the recliner. The pattern produced a deafening scream that echoed in Darden's audio perception. He retreated from the room. As he left, he thought he heard the unmistakable soft jingle of a bell. Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!
Immediately, the detective remembered a similar sound. He'd heard it twenty years before at another murder scene he investigated. The Lancaster Family's death knell.
Beige archway doors stood wide opened. Darden hesitated. He needed to explore Dorothy Larsen's bedroom where she'd suffered under her brother's torment. In his mind's eye, he could see the impression of the little girl covered in blood. She'd been stabbed ten times.
Darden evoked the memory of Drew Larsen bragging about Dorothy's slaughter.
"I did not stab her any more or any less than ten times," the boy boasted. "I stabbed her once for each year of her age."
Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!
He had also confessed, "I did her three times before I terminated her life."
Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!
A Rubbermaid combination nightlight and lavender air freshener emitted a slight beam as Darden entered the room. Tangled clothing cluttered the floor. The detective knew it must have been the clothes Dorothy Larsen wore when her brother raped and murdered her.
A colored picture was arrayed on the wall above her dressing table. The 8 X 10 made the elfin Dorothy mirror a camera's doll and was captioned "My Hero!". In the picture, Drew Larsen's eyes were unscathed by any suggestion of dementia. His immense smile exhibited no deception. Dorothy's innocent charms confirmed she knew nothing about death, until she was mutilated.
The photograph further demonstrated how Dorothy's long blonde locks cascaded down her back and rested between her shoulders. Her emerald green eyes reminded the detective of a tranquil sea. Knowing what fate befell her, Darden could not look at her. He quickly turned his head away from the photograph.
In fragile silence, he moved into the foyer. One more time he heard the ting-a-ling of a bell resonate. Darden switched on the overhead light. He pocketed his LED flashlight then withdrew his revolver from his shoulder rig.
A closet with two custom-made sliding doors offered the only possible place someone could be concealed. They would readily become target practice for the sharpshooting detective. With his pistol in one hand, Darden reached for the egress. Inside were sheets, towels, washcloths, and a couple of cardboard boxes stacked on a wooden shelf.
Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling!
(To Be Continued:)
Cast of Characters:
Detective Sean Darden - Lead Investigator of the Larsen Family's murders.
Drew Larsen - Thirteen-year-old boy who confessed to the brutal slayings of his family members. The question remained, did he?
Mark Larsen - Drew Larsen's father.
Emily Larsen - Drew Larsen's mother.
Dorothy Larsen - Drew Larsen's sister.
Peggy Morrison - Drew Larsen's wheelchair-bound grandmother.
Author Notes
Friendly Ghosts After Dark, by Pink Flutters, selected to complement this portion of Chapter Five.
So, thanks Pink Flutters, for the use of your picture. It goes so nicely with this portion of Chapter Five.
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