Date: Mon, 2 May 2022 01:00:00 -0700 From: John Henry Subject: Growing Up Charlie Chapter 68 (Gay/Incest) DONATION: Nifty is a not-for-profit organization that heavily relies on our donations to keep the site free and accessible. Your donations pay for web hosting fees and other day-to-day activities for the wonderful staff of editors/publishers. You can donate on the website at http://donate.nifty.org/ Every little bit counts. DISCLAIMER: This story is a work of fiction, and contains explicit, sexual content involving adults over the age of 21 and minors under the age of 16, and scenes of incest involving step-parents/step-children. If viewing this material is illegal where you live, OR you're a minor under the age of 18, please stop reading this. If you're not sure about this legatilty, please stop reading until you have looked into your own, local laws. Any likeness or similarity between persons, places, products or concepts are purely coincidental. If you would like to leave any positive feedback, please let me know. Thank you. Chapter 68 Ry left school early. He hadn't been in the mood to see Billy walking the halls, avoiding eye contact and pretending like Ry didn't exist. Ry was happy that Trevor was talking to him, but suspected Billy was pissed that they were talking. Life at Will's the last month and a half was quiet and somber. Will spent most of his time working or trying to find Charlie. He was rarely ever home and, when he was, Will was usually too exhausted to have any kind of conversation. Ry asked if there was anything he could do to help, but Will said there wasn't and that he had everything under control. Guilt weighed on Ry. He couldn't get the memories of his last conversation with his baby brother out of his head. Ry also couldn't help but feel directly responsible, since he was the reason Charlie left. Had he tried having their talk during the day or had it after the first incident, maybe they'd both be home with their family. Ry took the city bus to Rick's and Billy's house. He felt bitter to refer to his former home like that, but he was no longer welcome there. Ry only came to the house to get a few things and get his mail, and he only did it when he was certain nobody would be there. Thankfully, Rick hadn't changed the locks, which he thought Will was behind. The house was a mess. Billy was never much for cleaning, but Rick usually insisted on keeping the place in good condition. Dishes and take-out boxes were piled on the counter, the trash looked like it hadn't gone out in weeks, and dirty clothes were scattered throughout every room. Ry made his way up the stairs and stopped outside of Charlie's room. Rick had put a lock on it. Ry assumed it was the man's way of preserving the room for Charlie's return, but he couldn't help be feel that it was a slight towards him; a way to keep Ry from being close to his baby brother. He remembered the day they moved in. Charlie ran up the stairs and claimed his room. He was seven at the time and very excited. Charlie wanted to show his room to Ry, but his big brother was still in a wheelchair and had to have a room on the ground floor. Undeterred, Charlie went about setting up his room, which he did by himself (he insisted), and once he was done, Charlie took pics of his room, ran downstairs and sat with Ry, showing off his work. It went as well as a little kid could do, but Charlie was so proud of his work and he needed his brother's approval. A tear fell as Ry turned towards his former room across the hall from Charlie's. Ry let out a soft sigh after walking properly into his room. Everything was neatly packed and put into a corner. His bed was unmade and the mattress was wrapped in plastic. Ry walked over to a small stack, set aside his cane, and started to go through it looking for an English report and a missing photo of him and Charlie, taken by their father, at the local pool. It was taken during their second summer in Washington. Ry was finally out of the wheelchair, but his legs still weren't very strong. He sat in the shallow end with Rick, and watched Charlie swim around. Ry and Billy had recently broken up, and their middle brother was spending the day with Will. Charlie was so happy, laughing and playing with the other kids. He would occasionally come over and splash his family, who got him back, before Charlie would laugh and swim away again. Unfortunately, Ry couldn't find the picture. He closed the boxes, re-stacked them the best he could, before heading back into the hall. Rick kept what little mail Ry got on a table near the front door. Another maneuver to keep Ry at a distance, Ry was sure of. Aside from a few school notices and college brochures, there was nothing of note. He tossed out the items he didn't want and made his way to the door. He jumped in shock as he opened the door. Before him was a face he hadn't seen in years. "Detective Dunham?" Ry asked, as the woman lowered the hand she was about to knock with. "What are you doing here?" "Nice to see you again, Ry," the detective said. "I didn't mean to startle you. I was actually looking for your father. Is he home?" I don't have a father anymore, Ry wanted to say. Instead he replied, "No, he's still at work." "Oh, well, may I come in? I have some questions for you as well." Ry moved out of the way and walked towards the living room. "Sorry about the mess," he said, moving several piles of trash and clothes from the couch. "Apparently, they forgot how to clean around here." "I had heard you moved out," Detective Dunham said, as she took a seat. "Is that what they told you?" Ry said mirthlessly. "I'd say I was kicked out and blamed for Charlie's kidnapping." "I got that impression, too." "How can I help you?" Ry asked, wanting a change of subject. "Aren't you out of your jurisdiction?" "I've been hired to help look for Charlie, given my knowledge with your family and past." "So, Will hired you, huh?" Detective Dunham nodded. Will hadn't asked her to keep the knowledge private, but she was certain that Will didn't want it to be public knowledge either. She proceeded to ask Ry the same questions Detective Haskins had already asked, which Ry answered openly and honestly. She then asked him questions about Justin and his relationship with Charlie, which Ry also answered honestly, though he couldn't keep the bitterness out of his tone. Detective Dunham then asked questions about the people Justin hung out with at school, which Ry couldn't provide a lot of information, since they hadn't run in the same circles, even when Justin and Billy were dating. "Thank you, Ry," Detective Dunham said, as she stood to leave. "For what it's worth, not only am I sorry that Charlie is missing, but I hope you and your family will make amends." "Thanks," Ry said, making his way towards the door. "I don't see that happening any time soon, but I appreciate the sentiment all the same." Before Ry could open the door, it was opened by Rick, who looked stunned to see his eldest son and Detective Dunham in his home. "What's going on?" Rick asked. "Don't worry," Ry said, pushing past his adopted father. "I was just leaving." Rick called out, but Ry put on his headphones and kept walking towards the bus stop. "Why aren't you going after him?" Detective Dunham asked. "I'm sorry I'm late," Rick said, ignoring her question. "I got held up at work." Rick led the way back into the house and to the living room. Not wanting to make the situation worse and not get her goals met, Detective Dunham let the encounter with Ry go. She had more pressing matters to get to. "To start, I don't have any new leads in the case, though I'm starting to put together a better picture of Justin and his potential actions. Will and I believe Justin has left the state. I've already been in contact with the FBI to expand the search to the neighboring states and to Nebraska, where Justin's father had once been incarcerated. "I spent the last few weeks doing some digging into Justin's father, Mark Kovak, and I've made some interesting discoveries that I wanted to talk to you about." "I don't know anything about the man, other than Justin killed him. Justin talked about it with him once, saying that he had been in the military or something and traveled a lot for work, but honestly, that's all I know." Detective Dunham opened her briefcase and removed a folder. She passed it to Rick and said, "My interest in Mr. Kovak isn't just about Justin and Charlie. Were you aware that Mr. Kovak was an employee of Will's?" "What?! No, I didn't!" Rick opened the file and saw a familiar face. If he hadn't seen the booking dates, he would've sworn it was Justin; however, the mugshot was clearly marked as Mark Kovak. Inside were arrest records and documents from the Nebraska Department of Corrections. "Did this man work for Will in the prison or something?" "Not exactly," she said. Detective Dunham filled Rick into Will's and Mark's past in prison, having been cellmates and belonging to the same gang. Rick was shocked and sickened to hear that Will had been working for a neo-Nazi gang. He made a mental note to keep the information away from the boys, especially Billy. "There's more to it. Shortly after Will's release, Mr. Kovak was released and transferred states, moving here to Washington. A few weeks later, Justin was caught molesting two boys. The boys' mother and Justin's mother went missing, never to be seen nor heard from again." "Do you think Justin's father had anything to do with it?" Rick asked, looking at the mugshot once more. "Can I be honest with you?" "Of course," Rick replied questioningly. "I think Will arranged for the women to go missing." Rick looked disbelieving. "Will? Will Parker? You think Will Parker had two women killed? Why would he do that? HOW could he do that?" Detective Dunham opened her case once more and removed another folder. Rick accepted the folder and opened it. Inside contacted various documents from the FBI. He needed help making sense of what he was reading. "According to the FBI," the detective said, "there's an informant within the gang, who has been feeding them information about money laundering that Will has been conducting for the gang. They've also discovered various counts of blackmail, fraud, bribing government officials and other illegal activities that all lead back to Will." "I get that his makes Will look like a mobster, but none of this points to Will being a murderer," Rick said. "I know that this is speculative, but I'm looking to get to the truth of all of this." Detective Dunham took back the folders and placed them back in her briefcase. "I'm not looking to make waves, especially at the expense of Charlie and his safety. Bringing Charlie home first is my priority; however, my second priority is to bring Justin to justice for what he has done, and I suspect that Will wants me to find Justin first, so he can kill Justin." "Has Will said anything that would make you think that?" Rick was having a lot of difficulty believing that the man he had been co-parenting with for nearly half a decade was capable of murder. "I'm to call him first if I ever find Justin. Will says it's so he can get Charlie taken care of first and foremost; however, I suspect that Will wants to have Justin 'taken care of', and Charlie will never get the justice he deserves." Rick couldn't say he blamed Will for wanting Justin dead. He fantasized about it often, but he ever thought anyone would actually kill Justin...at least before he went to prison. "Why are you telling me all of this?" "I guess I was hoping for more information. Anything you might know that could help point me in the right direction." "You mean point towards Will being a murderer?" Detective Dunham shrugged. "That or in a direction that proves me wrong. I'm not interested in faking guilt, Rick. My job is to get to the truth and find justice for those who need it. Will hiring me was a good move, since I won't stop till Charlie comes home; however, if Will's priorities are to get Justin instead of Charlie or to make me an accessory to whatever crime he's planning, I can't stand aside and let that happen. I hope you understand that." "I do," Rick said, and meant it. He had never known Detective Dunham to be anything less than straight forward. "If I can think of anything, I'll let you know." "That's all I can ask." Detective Dunham stood to leave. She shook Rick's hand and said, "You need to get Ry to come home. He told me everything, and as much as I disapprove of what happened between him and Charlie, that shouldn't be the final straw to throw him out. Charlie is going to need everyone here for him, and honestly, your family needs one another now more than ever." "I'll keep that in mind," Rick said, as he walked Detective Dunham to her car. ***Coming Soon, Chapter 69***