‹ Prequel: My 'Cool' Grandpa
My Un-'Cool' Half-Brother
Frankie is Found
Jack's POV
I watched Rosie get in the car with Grandpa and Jimmy and walked back inside to find Grandma.
She was following a doctor into the relative's room, holding Emma's hand. I raced up behind them and we walked in together and sat down. The doctor shuffled through some papers.
"OK, we have established that the person brought in today was a man in his early twenties. We are still searching his belongings for identification. We will notify of any progressions."
He walked out. Grandma put her arm round my shoulders.
"Sweetie, don't worry. I promise we'll find Frankie."
I stared at the blank, white wall. "I wish he was still alive."
Grandma looked at me, shocked.
"Who? The guy who took Frankie?" I nodded. "Why? So he could tell you where Frankie is?"
"No. So I can kill him. How could he take my little girl?" I sobbed. Grandma hugged me and rocked me back and forth like she did when I was little.
Frankie's POV
I woke up and looked out of the window. It was quite dark and I was scared. I don't like the dark. I saw people in the alley and lay back down. They looked scary.
I quivered and hugged my blankets. I was so alone. Tears seeped into the ragged, dirty blankets when I heard a noise. Shouting. I peeped out of the window. The people were yelling at each other and hitting each other. I ducked back down.
Suddenly, there was silence. I peeped over the window again. I saw them looking right at me and ducked again. My heart was beating fast and I was terrified. I climbed down from the window. As I was pulling the blankets down, I heard a crash.
Rosie's POV
I looked out of the window. We were in a dirty, dark neighbourhood. Groups of children lined the streets, passing each other God only knows what. I thought I saw guns, knives and little packages, likely containing drugs. I shivered and looked at Jimmy.
"Is dat one, Ganpa!" Jimmy cried, pointing at a house. All of its windows were boarded up, apart from one at the side, which was shattered. I unbuckled Jimmy and we got out of the car. Billie locked the car and put his arm round us. The cop we had brought with us went and knocked on the door. The groups of children scattered at the sight of the cop.
After several minutes, it was clear we weren't going to have an answer. The cop turned to us.
"Are you sure she's here?"
Billie and I exchanged looks. Jimmy nodded furiously.
"In dere! Fwankie's in dere!"
The cop ignored Jimmy. Ma'am?"
"I...I don't know."
"Well, we're going to have to leave."
"No! Fwankie is in dere!" Jimmy pointed at the house and struggled to get free of my grip.
"Please, we'd be very grateful, if just for Jimmy," I said, trying to restrain him.
The cop sighed and walked up to the door. He rammed his shoulder against it and it gave way. He walked inside, gun drawn. We followed, cautiously.
The house was a mess. It was dirty and dark. It smelled of damp and stale body odour, faeces and worse. We picked our way through a mess of glass, bricks, rubble and rubbish. We looked in each room, then walked upstairs. We tried the doors upstairs, one by one. The fourth door we tried was locked. The cop opened it in the same way he had the front door and we walked in. What I saw made me dizzy and sick to my stomach.
Jack's POV
I walked into the hall to try and find the cafeteria. Mike had called. He hadn't found Frankie, neither had anyone else. I was going to get some coffee for Adie and I.
I found the cafeteria, got two cups of coffee and started walking back to the relative's room, when four paramedics rushed in, wheeling a stretcher in front of them. I saw a little girl, she had reddish-brown hair and was covered in blood. My blood ran cold. It was Frankie.
I watched Rosie get in the car with Grandpa and Jimmy and walked back inside to find Grandma.
She was following a doctor into the relative's room, holding Emma's hand. I raced up behind them and we walked in together and sat down. The doctor shuffled through some papers.
"OK, we have established that the person brought in today was a man in his early twenties. We are still searching his belongings for identification. We will notify of any progressions."
He walked out. Grandma put her arm round my shoulders.
"Sweetie, don't worry. I promise we'll find Frankie."
I stared at the blank, white wall. "I wish he was still alive."
Grandma looked at me, shocked.
"Who? The guy who took Frankie?" I nodded. "Why? So he could tell you where Frankie is?"
"No. So I can kill him. How could he take my little girl?" I sobbed. Grandma hugged me and rocked me back and forth like she did when I was little.
Frankie's POV
I woke up and looked out of the window. It was quite dark and I was scared. I don't like the dark. I saw people in the alley and lay back down. They looked scary.
I quivered and hugged my blankets. I was so alone. Tears seeped into the ragged, dirty blankets when I heard a noise. Shouting. I peeped out of the window. The people were yelling at each other and hitting each other. I ducked back down.
Suddenly, there was silence. I peeped over the window again. I saw them looking right at me and ducked again. My heart was beating fast and I was terrified. I climbed down from the window. As I was pulling the blankets down, I heard a crash.
Rosie's POV
I looked out of the window. We were in a dirty, dark neighbourhood. Groups of children lined the streets, passing each other God only knows what. I thought I saw guns, knives and little packages, likely containing drugs. I shivered and looked at Jimmy.
"Is dat one, Ganpa!" Jimmy cried, pointing at a house. All of its windows were boarded up, apart from one at the side, which was shattered. I unbuckled Jimmy and we got out of the car. Billie locked the car and put his arm round us. The cop we had brought with us went and knocked on the door. The groups of children scattered at the sight of the cop.
After several minutes, it was clear we weren't going to have an answer. The cop turned to us.
"Are you sure she's here?"
Billie and I exchanged looks. Jimmy nodded furiously.
"In dere! Fwankie's in dere!"
The cop ignored Jimmy. Ma'am?"
"I...I don't know."
"Well, we're going to have to leave."
"No! Fwankie is in dere!" Jimmy pointed at the house and struggled to get free of my grip.
"Please, we'd be very grateful, if just for Jimmy," I said, trying to restrain him.
The cop sighed and walked up to the door. He rammed his shoulder against it and it gave way. He walked inside, gun drawn. We followed, cautiously.
The house was a mess. It was dirty and dark. It smelled of damp and stale body odour, faeces and worse. We picked our way through a mess of glass, bricks, rubble and rubbish. We looked in each room, then walked upstairs. We tried the doors upstairs, one by one. The fourth door we tried was locked. The cop opened it in the same way he had the front door and we walked in. What I saw made me dizzy and sick to my stomach.
Jack's POV
I walked into the hall to try and find the cafeteria. Mike had called. He hadn't found Frankie, neither had anyone else. I was going to get some coffee for Adie and I.
I found the cafeteria, got two cups of coffee and started walking back to the relative's room, when four paramedics rushed in, wheeling a stretcher in front of them. I saw a little girl, she had reddish-brown hair and was covered in blood. My blood ran cold. It was Frankie.