Black Belt JoeBy BlindEaglePart 5blindeagle@codeysworld.comCopyright © 2009 by BlindEagle. All rights reserved. |
In route to the Silver’s, Mike and Georgia were in deep thought about what to expect once they reached their destination. Turning up the radio in the van so that the kids couldn’t listen to their conversation, Mike said softly to Georgia, “That little bastard really messed up everything for us. Not only did he tell those people that we cursed him out for which he deserved and called it verbal abuse, he said that we denied him the right to take showers because the room I took my time to fix up for him was too hot and the air conditioner didn’t work!”
With fire in her eyes, Georgia said, “By the way you looked back at the house, whoever spoke to you on the phone must have really threatened you.”
“Yeah, it was that guy Silver. He threatened to get a lawyer and go to CPS and have our license pulled. Look Georgia, if we don’t do something, and I mean quick, we can kiss our license, our trip, and even our jobs bye-bye.”
With her face flushed the color of blood, and with an expression of total fury, Georgia slammed her fist on the dashboard, causing the kids in the back of the van to stop their playing to stare at what was going on.
******
Following behind the Chase’s car, Mrs. Hinkle thought about the conversation she just had with Georgia, and the fact that Mike had been putting Keith’s belongings by their front door. She had no intention of removing Keith yet, unless he was being abused or treated unfairly. She also took into consideration Keith’s age, his history of getting into fights at school, and the negative reports from his previous foster parents.
******
Waiting for Keith’s foster parents to arrive, Wendy and Paul sat at the breakfast nook putting together their plan of action.
“Paul? I heard what that ass of a foster parent was saying to you over the phone. Putting it on the speaker was good so that the boys could hear what was being said. And that would help Keith believe that we really care about him.”
“Yes, you’re right honey. His first name is Mike, his last should be hole! What an idiot! He wasn’t nice at all. Did you hear how he made everything look like it was all Keith’s fault?”
“I know Paul, I know.” Pausing for a moment, then with a softer tone to her voice, “I have a confession to make. After that phone call, I feel… no, I know what I would like to do.”
Looking at his wife, Paul knew what she was going to say because he reached the same feeling earlier in the evening.
“Paul? Just think about it, ok? If things don’t work out with Keith and the Chases, I would like us….”
“To to consider adopting Keith!” Paul completed the sentence with a smile. Paul took Wendy’s hands. “Your wish is my wish as well. I believe everything Keith told us about the Chases and how they are treating him is true. Soon enough it will become a reality, we just need to show the Chases that we are serious about reporting them to the head of CPS. If need be we will even hire a lawyer in Keith’s defense.”
A loud Knock… Knock… Knock sounded through the house and into the breakfast nook where Wendy and Paul were talking. Knock… Knock… Knock… the door knocker sounded again.
Paul gave Wendy’s hand a secured squeeze as he went to answer the door. Wendy went upstairs to tell the boys about their visitors and to inform them of their part of the plan.
Opening the door, Paul was surprised to see two cars in his driveway, a van and a mid size car.
Georgia was the first to introduce herself. “Hello, I’m Mrs. Chase,” and turning to Mike, “and this is my husband Mike.”
Georgia, trying to block Mrs. Hinkle’s view of Paul, moved closer to Mike. It was unsuccessful. Pushing her way through with her hand extended she said, “Mr. Silver? My name is Mrs. Hinkle and I’m from the Department of Child Protective Services.”
Looking past the Chases to see who was talking, Paul reached out his hand. “Hello Mrs. Hinkle, welcome to our home, wont you come in?”
Moving past the Chases, Mrs. Hinkle went inside and Mike and Georgia followed after her with their children. Closing the door Paul led them into the living room and offered coffee for Mrs. Hinkle and juice for the children, completely ignoring Mike and Georgia. Trying to cover up the look of distaste on their faces Mike and Georgia looked around, both trying to come up with some sort of plan to get them off the hook and save themselves from disaster.
Upstairs Wendy talked with Joe and Keith about what they should and should not say, totally unaware of Mrs. Hinkle’s presence along with the Chases. “I know this is going to be rough for you boys, especially for you, Keith. But remember what we talked about with you Keith, and that we mean every bit of it. Ok? No matter what!”
Keith looked at Wendy then at Joe, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and slowly released it as all tension began to melt away. Opening his eyes as the last drop of doubt, fear and unbelief fell away, his face shined with a look of determination, of confidence, of faith. Both Wendy and Joe did a double-take just to see if this was the same Keith they had been talking to just a few minutes earlier. With a mischievous grin, Keith bowed down and, swinging his arm toward the stairs, announced, “Shall we?”
******
Standing outside his bus, Razor not wanting anyone standing nearby to hear his call to Jack, decided to text him instead: ‘departing nj in 5…arrive tue at 2-3…all set in fl ...ttyl’.
Jack was just finishing his dinner when his cell signaled an incoming text. Glancing at the screen on his cell, a twisted grin appeared on his face. Putting his cellphone back into his pocket, he turning to Kim. “Plans to take care of our Florida problem are on the way. We should hear from Razor soon.”
Kim smiled. “Good, and while that end is being put into motion I have a few friends of the court who are handling things on our end. We have to make sure that everything goes according to plan. We cannot afford a mistake at this point.”
Nodding his agreement, Jack pulled out his cell and made a call to an old work buddy.
Boarding the bus, Razor quickly moved to the back to claim the entire rear seat to himself. Putting his carryon bag next to him he prepared to make a call on his cell. A teen with head phones plugged into an MP3 player walked to the back to sit on the other end of the rear seat. Razor aimed a killer stare directed straight into the eyes of the youth who stopped in his tracks and turned around, deciding to take the empty seat two rows ahead, murmuring under his breath, “What a freakin weirdo!”
******
Paul returned with a cup of coffee for Mrs. Hinkle and juice for the children who were seated at the dining room table. He then turned to Mrs. Hinkle. “I wasn’t aware of you would be coming with the Chases Mrs. Hinkle.”
“I was at the Chases when Mr. Chase was talking to you.” She looked over at Mike who was now sweating bullets, then at Georgia who put on a forced smile in the direction of Mrs. Pretty shoes.
While the drama was starting to unfold itself, Wendy walked downstairs and entered the living room followed by Joe and Keith. She was eager to meet Keith’s foster parents. She saw a second women sitting across from a couple she assumed were the Chases.
Paul watched his wife enter the room with the boys and stood up and introduced her and Joe to Mrs. Hinkle. Keith shook hands with his caseworker, Mrs. Hinkle, and sat down next to Joe. He watched the eyes of Mike and Georgia staring at him as if he was their worst nightmare. Knowing that he had his foster parents right where he wanted them, he was looking all the more confident as the conversation began.
******
“Ok!” Paul announced, and everyone turned their attention towards him. “First, I want to thank you, Mrs. Hinkle, for your presence here this evening. It’s been brought to my and my wife’s attention by Keith that he has been mistreated by his foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Chase.”
Wendy realized that their children were sitting at the dining room table and could hear everything they were starting to discuss. She got up and closed the glass panel doors between the two rooms, allowing them privacy and a view of the children as well.
Paul returned his attention to those in the room and resumed what he was saying. “I invited the Chases to our house to discuss the issue of Keith’s day.” Turning to Mrs. Hinkle, he continued. “As I was pulling up into my driveway, I notice a crowd of about a dozen kids circling around Keith who was lying on the ground. Several teens, way bigger then Keith and wearing letterman’s jackets, were helping another teen get up off of the ground. When I went over to see what was going on, the crowd took off leaving Keith on the ground, obviously hurt. I helped him to his feet, and after finding that he was able to walk I brought him into our home. He had a large bump forming on his head, so I fixed an ice pack for it. My son Joe was home from school, so he helped me to make Keith comfortable. Joe talked to him and tried to find out about what had just happened. However, Keith was in pain from the growing knot on his head which we later found out was caused by one of the kids in the crowd who threw a big rock at him.
Quietly sitting by Keith, Joe noticed the Chases were staring daggers at Keith. At the same time he watched how Mrs. Hinkle was listening intently as Paul finished telling his version of the evening’s events with Keith.
After Paul was done, Wendy stared at Georgia as she shared how upset Keith was, and how he avoided telling them about the Chases because he feared that he would suffer another session of verbal abuse because of the fight he was involved in at school. Looking at Mrs. Hinkle, she continued.
“From what Keith has shared with me and Paul, I’m certain that what happened to him at school today should be looked into. I worked as a licensed practical nurse in the Air Force, and I keep my license active, so after checking out the knot that had formed on Keith’s head Paul and I insisted that he contact his parents so that he could be taken to the hospital to be checked out. We didn’t know then that he was with foster parents,” turning to glare at Georgia and Mike, “the Chases. That request so disturbed Keith that we had him rest here to calm down, and our son Joe stayed with him. We invited him to have dinner with us, and while sitting at the dinner table he broke down in tears, and he told us about what happened to his family and his... experiences with the foster families he was placed with. Mrs. Hinkle, my husband, my son, and I have been dealing with a young teen this evening who has been going through significant emotional trauma, and we’ve all been trying to help him, and we are greatly concerned about his well being. We finally convinced Keith to call home, both to tell his foster parents where he was and so we could explain what happened to him.”
Paul took over the conversation, and looked at Mrs. Hinkle. “I noticed that while Keith was talking to Mike Chase that he could hardly get a word in edgewise because of the tone of Mike’s voice and the yelling over the phone.”
Remembering exactly what Mike said during that phone conversation, Mrs. Hinkle looking at Keith and said, “Keith? I want you to tell me exactly the truth ok? Is everything that the Silvers just said to us accurate? It’s very, very important that we all know that what we heard said here is accurate.”
Keith recalled how the Chase had been staring daggers at him all the time the Silvers had been talking. Without a moment of hesitance, he looked into Mrs. Hinkle’s eyes and nodding said, “Yes ma’am, everything that the Silvers said is accurate, it’s absolutely the truth.”
Joe winked at Keith with a reassuring smile, indicating that he thought everything was going Keith’s way.
Georgia looked at Mrs. Hinkle, her eyes beginning to twitch, and she quickly jumped to her and Mike’s defense. She’d been mentally putting into words the thoughts she had of what to say in their defense, thoughts that had been forming during the Silver’s explanation of the evening’s events with Keith. She put on the performance face she hoped would show that she was a loving and caring foster parent. Totally avoiding the Silvers and focusing her eyes on Mrs. Hinkle, she started.
“Mrs. Hinkle, Mike and I are hard working people and we work with kids every day as bus drivers for the county schools. We were at work when all of this was supposed to have taken place. When Keith was put under our care, we told him the rules of the house and we thought he understood them. The rules include that he is suppose to come directly home after school, and that he’s not allowed to go out until his chores are finished. When we got home from picking up our children from after school care, Keith wasn’t home. We checked our phone messages, and that’s how we were informed about what actually happened to Keith in school from the assistant principal.
“Mike and I took in Keith on a trial basis and Mike and I sat with you and Keith as you told us about Keith’s history and all of the fights he had been in at the previous two schools he attended, and the negative feedback from the past foster homes where he’d stayed.”
Seeing that she now had Mrs. Hinkle’s full attention, Georgia shifted the direction of her defense. “Furthermore, need I remind you, Mrs. Hinkle, of what you told Keith and us, that if he continued with the fighting and causing problems that his next home would be the state home for boys.”
Keith, hearing the words Georgia was saying against him, started to panic. If Georgia was able to convince his caseworker that everything that happened to him in school today was his fault, and that he was the cause of the fight after school, then he was done for. Not to mention the verbal abuse the Chases would heap upon him if he had to return to his dungeon in their attic. Mike, picking up on where his wife was going with what she was saying, looked at Keith with the most devious expression Keith had ever seen.
Watching Keith’s expression change, Joe nudging him in his side to break his focus that he knew was on what Georgia was spewing out of her mouth.
Paul and Wendy, totally unaware of this information about Keith, now weren’t sure that their plan was good enough to convince Mrs. Hinkle the Keith was innocent, that he wasn’t responsible for what happened today.
Taking a few moments to process all that was said and taking into consideration the events of the day regarding Keith, Mrs. Hinkle fully aware of the previous conversations with the Chases in their home, knew she needed more time to look into the matters at hand. Reviewing her thoughts, looking at Keith, she made her decision. She turned to the Silvers.
“I want to personally thank you for helping Keith today. I’m sure that your assistance and all you did to comfort and reassure him of his safety help calm him. There are protocols that I have to follow of which I have little to no control over; however, I will personally look into all that was shared here tonight. I will have to put Keith back into the care of the Chases pending a full investigation. The Chases have another child they are fostering as well, and there has been no complaints from any one regarding the care of that child.
“However,” looking over at the Chases, Mrs. Hinkle assumed a stern expression and continued, “I will be doing a full investigation into these matters and will inform you of the final decision in a few days. Mr. and Mrs. Chase, as soon as we are finished here I want you to take Keith to the Memorial Springs Hospital emergency room and have him examined. I will be requesting a copy of the report. Please make sure that you keep in mind the part of our conversation about proper and appropriate care for the children we trust to your care.”
Shocked at the decision Keith’s caseworker had just made, Joe felt both crushed and upset. He was sure that everything would turn out in Keith’s favor. Everything that had been said to encourage Keith, to get him to believe in his parents seemed to fall apart and vanish into the air before his eyes. With tears filling his eyes and now running down his cheek, Joe grabbed hold of Keith’s hand. He refused to let the one thing he dreamed about for days, months, even years, be taken away from him.
Paul, too, was angry at the Mrs. Hinkle’s decision.
Trying to understand the reasoning for the decision, Wendy looked into Keith’s face. “I’m sure Mrs. Hinkle understands what we shared, and that we care for you very much. I’m confident that she will do her best to get to the bottom of all this, and no matter what Keith, we will be here for you when you need us.
Smiling like she had just been awarded for The Best Performance of the Year, Georgia said, “Keith honey, why don’t you go get your book bag and take your brothers and sister out to the van while Mike and I finish up things here with your caseworker and say good night to the Silvers.”
Joe knew that he had to let Keith go but he didn’t like it one bit. Paul, fully aware of Joe’s thoughts, gave him a look of love and understanding. Nodding his head towards him, Joe released Keith’s hand.
Keith refused to let Georgia’s look of victory destroy the hope he had now mentally built into a solid concrete foundation to stand on. He was every bit as confident as he could be that the truth he and the Silvers shared with his caseworker would be brought to light. Knowing what he would have to endure in the next few days would take all of Joe’s smiles that were logged in his memory, along with the true love he felt at the Silver’s home, to be the source of strength he would need to make it through.
******
On the way back to their home, Georgia wasted no time cutting into Keith telling him how irresponsible he was and that unless he got his act together that she was going to turn him over to the state. In his heart Keith knew that she would do just that. Deciding to keep peace with his foster parents, He replied only when it was necessary.
******
When they arrived at the Chase’s home Keith saw his clothes at the door. He turned to Mike. “Who put my clothes here by the door?”
Mike glared at Keith. “You better be glad that your caseworker followed our advice and went over to the Silver’s house to meet us. We were ready to ship you out to the state. You lied about us and told those people that we don’t let you shower when you want and we verbally abused you for being the lazy ass that you are! If I had my way I’d....”
Mike’s verbal abuse of Keith was interrupted by a loud, persistent Knock… Knock… Knock… Knock… Knock at the door.
Georgia hollered from the kitchen, “Who the hell is that now! Someone answer the damn door!”
The knocking at the door took the focus off of Keith.
Again, Knock… Knock… Knock… Knock… Knock at the door, louder this time.
Mike opened the door and was surprised to see that it was Mrs. Hinkle.
Stepping inside the entry, she looked directly at Mike. “I was headed in the same direction as you were, and you didn’t take Keith to the ER as I instructed you to do.”
Shocked to hear Mrs. Hinkle’s voice, Georgia tried to quickly think up a lie to respond, despite that they had no intention of taking Keith to the ER right away. Walking to the front door, Georgia forced a smile. “Why, Mrs. Hinkle, what are you doing here?”
“Well, I can ask you the same question Mrs. Chase. I gave the two of you very specific instructions that you were to take Keith directly to the Memorial Springs Hospital emergency room. Why didn’t you do that? Why did you decide to go against my direct orders?”
The many threats Mike had in reserve for Keith quickly vanished. Georgia, despite trying to come up with a convincing lie, was unable to do so.
Staring at the Chases, Mrs. Hinkle said, “As the caseworker in charge of Keith Wesley’s case, I am going to pull him out of your custody and put a stat on the investigation concerning the complaints brought to my attention by the Silvers and Keith, and your competence as foster parents; I’m also going to suggest that a review of your fostering license be conducted. As for the additional child you are fostering, I will be having a discussion with his caseworker tomorrow morning.
******
Sitting at his desk, reviewing the latest reports, something just wasn’t settling well with the new CEO of the Kyle Wesley Advertising firm. According to the police reports and those from the private investigator he’s hired, information regarding the Wesley family didn’t match up. According to the police report, all four of the Wesley’s were killed in the explosion. Yet the information collected by the investigator showed that a body was rushed to a local emergency room, and that was witnessed by a food cart vender who was near the beach. An emergency helicopter landed there after the harbor rescue boat brought a stretcher to shore, they loaded it on, and flew off. Closely studying a section of the report and the Wesley family personal information on the screen, a distressing thought came to him the likes of which he hoped was the result of the spicy hot enchiladas he had for lunch
******
At the Silver’s, Joe lay in his bed wide awake, mentally reviewing everything had that happened over the past six hours. His watching another boy getting jumped by a gang of students from Fairview high; helping his dad bring the smaller teen into their home; finding out that Keith had been living a life of hurt and pain at the Chases; and not to forget the loss of Keith’s entire family; all of this was swirling around like a cyclone in his head. Now, when he finally thought the dream he had been hoping for years would come true, was just stripped away. Joe wondered how life could be so unfair. Deep in thought, Joe sighed deeply, a sigh that turned into a sob, and he told himself, “All I wanted to have was a…” knock… knock!
Realizing the difficult evening Joe had experienced, Paul had gone to his room and gently knocked on his door to check on him. Paul opened the door and walked over to Joe’s bedside, “Are you alright champ?”
Joe didn’t want his dad to see the tears that were running down his face, so he turned his face towards the wall and nodded.
Paul quietly reassured his son that everything would work itself out. He placed his hand on Joe's shoulder, and after giving it a gentle squeeze, Paul slowly backed out of the room pulling the door closed.
******
Arriving at an emergency placement home under the guidance of Mrs. Hinkle, Keith was glad to be finally free from the clutches of the Chases and his dungeon in their attic. He was now facing yet another instant adjustment in his young life, and he had to prepare himself for whatever would be next.