It Cannot Get Any Worse
Mopping Up
Quentin and Danny were up at the break of dawn. Both wanted to get to the hospital and see how Dad was doing. Mom called and gave them his room number. She said Dad was sleeping. She did not know anything else yet, but Dad was not in ICU.
Dr. Brosnan came by to pick up Saachi and get his car. Saachi had spent the night, but Q was not sure she had slept at all, she was busy taking care of things. Q still was uncertain why she was making all this effort to look after him and Danny, but he appreciated it.
Dr. Brosnan said Dad was going to be fine in time. He said Dad was somewhat famous. Between some pictures Dad had in the flash drive Q had given to Officer Chapman, and what that lady who was sitting on the porch told Officer Chapman, the whole incident was tied to executives of the Benchman Corporation and a local crime syndicate known as the “Family.” Most of the executives of the Benchman Company had been arrested, as well as some members of the Family.
Q still was not clear who that lady on the porch was and why she showed up suddenly at the house. She had an odd German last name, Toller something, Q thought he had heard Dad mention that name before. She and Officer Chapman sure seemed to get on well. When they left together, they acted like they were sisters.
Three of the bad guys were taken to the Benchman hospital. Dr. Brosnan said he was called in to consult on Puffy face. It seems Dr. Brosnan had recently read up on poison ivy allergies after treating Dad's cousin last year. He said if the guy died, it would not be from Danny, but the poison ivy reaction. They had to remove his eye and he did have some broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder compliments of Danny's legs.
The guy in the woods had been hit twice with a .22 but was not hurt that badly despite all his screaming. Dr. Brosnan said his name was “Cheesecake.” Dr. Brosnan thought that was funny. Apparently, Cheesecake gave the police a lot of information that helped them round up some members of the Family. Dr. Brosnan said someone at the hospital had apparently mistakenly given Cheesecake a pain killer that worked kind of like a truth serum. It was all very odd, because that pain killer was rarely used anymore, but the dosage was on the chart. The prescribing physician's name was unreadable. Dr. Brosnan had a funny look when he explained this. Q wondered what he was trying to tell him.
The guy Danny hit with the log was even worse off. His skull was cracked and caved in. One arrow had hit his liver and they were not able to remove it so far because it would likely kill him. If he lived, he would probably have brain damage. The guy had just gotten out of prison for murder last year. Dr. Brosnan said it appeared likely that guy would be courteously leaving some extra room in the prison cell for his buddies. Dr. Brosnan told Danny that if the guy died, Danny probably helped save several people's lives sometime in the future.
The police dogs had eventually found the other guy in the woods wandering around lost. He was only a hundred yards from the road, but was walking parallel to it without realizing it. He had no ID and Dr. Brosnan said they could not figure out who he was, he kept saying his name was “Other Guy.”
Another man was found limping along Riverfront road soaking wet. When a police car pulled up, he tried to run, but only got a few feet before he fell, screaming something about “those bitches.” It turned out his ankle and his arm were broken. He would not tell anyone what happened. However it seemed he had a run in with a friend down the street that Dad always called the mailbox lady. Apparently he tried to rob her while she was pulling weeds. She had taken his gun, chased him away and called the police. How such a nice lady had bested a 30 year old thug and taken his gun from him was unclear. Q was not surprised, he knew the mailbox lady could be very fierce at times. Did she really break his ankle and his arm? Q decided he would make a special effort to avoid pissing off the mailbox lady in the future. The gun was enough for the police to arrest the limping man and hold him until it could be sorted out whether he had anything to do with the events at the Hilderman home.
The Canadian coast guard had also pulled a guy out of Lake Erie. He was floating on a life jacket. The guy had hypothermia and was unconscious, so it was not known whether he had anything to do with the attack, but he had a gun of the exact same model as the one dropped in the front yard by Mr. Puffy face when he first tried to shoot Dad. It was funny, even Dr. Brosnan and the policemen had picked up Q and Danny's nickname for Mr. Puffy Face. Q still secretly hoped Puffy died from the poison ivy or whatever. It made him feel a bit guilty.
One pair of police dogs led the officers to a house nearby where they were had a birthday party for their kid. Someone had stolen a bunny costume and punched one of the guests. The police figured it was unrelated, probably just a high school kid pulling a prank. Still, to be safe, they put out an APB for a Giant Fuzzy Pink Bunny with blue ears riding around on a child's bicycle. Q remembered hearing the radio call about the Pink Fuzzy Bunny over Officer Chapman’s radio. He had thought it was a joke. Officer Chapman had gasped when she heard that on the radio. The other cops asked her what was wrong, but she said nothing and just sat staring and shaking her head.
On their way home, the sheriffs who came in a boat had found a boat upside down up the river a mile or so. It was attached by a strap to a car that was under water. The coast guard was still trying to raise it. When that was announced, a lot of the reporters took off up the road. No one knew if it had anything to do with the attack, but a car in the river was big news anyway. Maybe there would be a body in it. Maybe a whole family. Q could almost hear the reporters drooling.
Dr. Brosnan spent over an hour telling the boys what he had learned, then he took Saachi home in the corvette. Saachi Brosnan gave Q a long hug when she left and asked him to text her if they needed anything. Q was trying to think of a reason to text her. He thought he would come up with something they needed after they got back from visiting Dad.
Dr. Brosnan came by to pick up Saachi and get his car. Saachi had spent the night, but Q was not sure she had slept at all, she was busy taking care of things. Q still was uncertain why she was making all this effort to look after him and Danny, but he appreciated it.
Dr. Brosnan said Dad was going to be fine in time. He said Dad was somewhat famous. Between some pictures Dad had in the flash drive Q had given to Officer Chapman, and what that lady who was sitting on the porch told Officer Chapman, the whole incident was tied to executives of the Benchman Corporation and a local crime syndicate known as the “Family.” Most of the executives of the Benchman Company had been arrested, as well as some members of the Family.
Q still was not clear who that lady on the porch was and why she showed up suddenly at the house. She had an odd German last name, Toller something, Q thought he had heard Dad mention that name before. She and Officer Chapman sure seemed to get on well. When they left together, they acted like they were sisters.
Three of the bad guys were taken to the Benchman hospital. Dr. Brosnan said he was called in to consult on Puffy face. It seems Dr. Brosnan had recently read up on poison ivy allergies after treating Dad's cousin last year. He said if the guy died, it would not be from Danny, but the poison ivy reaction. They had to remove his eye and he did have some broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder compliments of Danny's legs.
The guy in the woods had been hit twice with a .22 but was not hurt that badly despite all his screaming. Dr. Brosnan said his name was “Cheesecake.” Dr. Brosnan thought that was funny. Apparently, Cheesecake gave the police a lot of information that helped them round up some members of the Family. Dr. Brosnan said someone at the hospital had apparently mistakenly given Cheesecake a pain killer that worked kind of like a truth serum. It was all very odd, because that pain killer was rarely used anymore, but the dosage was on the chart. The prescribing physician's name was unreadable. Dr. Brosnan had a funny look when he explained this. Q wondered what he was trying to tell him.
The guy Danny hit with the log was even worse off. His skull was cracked and caved in. One arrow had hit his liver and they were not able to remove it so far because it would likely kill him. If he lived, he would probably have brain damage. The guy had just gotten out of prison for murder last year. Dr. Brosnan said it appeared likely that guy would be courteously leaving some extra room in the prison cell for his buddies. Dr. Brosnan told Danny that if the guy died, Danny probably helped save several people's lives sometime in the future.
The police dogs had eventually found the other guy in the woods wandering around lost. He was only a hundred yards from the road, but was walking parallel to it without realizing it. He had no ID and Dr. Brosnan said they could not figure out who he was, he kept saying his name was “Other Guy.”
Another man was found limping along Riverfront road soaking wet. When a police car pulled up, he tried to run, but only got a few feet before he fell, screaming something about “those bitches.” It turned out his ankle and his arm were broken. He would not tell anyone what happened. However it seemed he had a run in with a friend down the street that Dad always called the mailbox lady. Apparently he tried to rob her while she was pulling weeds. She had taken his gun, chased him away and called the police. How such a nice lady had bested a 30 year old thug and taken his gun from him was unclear. Q was not surprised, he knew the mailbox lady could be very fierce at times. Did she really break his ankle and his arm? Q decided he would make a special effort to avoid pissing off the mailbox lady in the future. The gun was enough for the police to arrest the limping man and hold him until it could be sorted out whether he had anything to do with the events at the Hilderman home.
The Canadian coast guard had also pulled a guy out of Lake Erie. He was floating on a life jacket. The guy had hypothermia and was unconscious, so it was not known whether he had anything to do with the attack, but he had a gun of the exact same model as the one dropped in the front yard by Mr. Puffy face when he first tried to shoot Dad. It was funny, even Dr. Brosnan and the policemen had picked up Q and Danny's nickname for Mr. Puffy Face. Q still secretly hoped Puffy died from the poison ivy or whatever. It made him feel a bit guilty.
One pair of police dogs led the officers to a house nearby where they were had a birthday party for their kid. Someone had stolen a bunny costume and punched one of the guests. The police figured it was unrelated, probably just a high school kid pulling a prank. Still, to be safe, they put out an APB for a Giant Fuzzy Pink Bunny with blue ears riding around on a child's bicycle. Q remembered hearing the radio call about the Pink Fuzzy Bunny over Officer Chapman’s radio. He had thought it was a joke. Officer Chapman had gasped when she heard that on the radio. The other cops asked her what was wrong, but she said nothing and just sat staring and shaking her head.
On their way home, the sheriffs who came in a boat had found a boat upside down up the river a mile or so. It was attached by a strap to a car that was under water. The coast guard was still trying to raise it. When that was announced, a lot of the reporters took off up the road. No one knew if it had anything to do with the attack, but a car in the river was big news anyway. Maybe there would be a body in it. Maybe a whole family. Q could almost hear the reporters drooling.
Dr. Brosnan spent over an hour telling the boys what he had learned, then he took Saachi home in the corvette. Saachi Brosnan gave Q a long hug when she left and asked him to text her if they needed anything. Q was trying to think of a reason to text her. He thought he would come up with something they needed after they got back from visiting Dad.