Children's / Spatula Boy and The Kidnappers

  

      

SPATULA BOY

AND

THE KIDNAPPERS

By C.S. Bohannon

C.S. Bohannon/ Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                           Page1.                        
                                                                                                                          

Chapter 1 The Kidnapping

Ten year old Sean, dressed as a fry cook, had been out “trick or treating” with his sister Katie,

on Halloween night.  When he discovered a  green glowing meteor rock had landed in their back yard.  

Only Sean could see the eerie green glow coming from behind the garden shed.  The meteor

transferred its green energy into Sean’s fry cook spatulas, turning them into an unknown metal.  The

spatulas now directed the rocks energy beam and powers through Sean.

The very next day, testing out his new skills, he saved Katie, from getting ran over by an oncoming van by using the spatula’s powers to divert its path.  The van seemed very suspicious to them in their neighborhood since they had never seen it before.  They soon discovered it came from the mysterious old house up the street, that nobody had  lived there for a very long time. When Sean and

Katie investigated, Sean had to once again use the powers to save himself and Katie from two men that were transporting counterfeit money in the suspicious van.  They were using the old abandoned house as their printing lab and distribution center.  

        They also became proud owners of  a faithful German Shepard that had been held as a prisoner by the men that had the counterfeiting operation in the old house.  His sister Katie, had quickly bonded and become friends with the dog, naming him Scout.  Scout followed them everywhere. He was a very smart and loyal dog and a great addition to their family.

Sean and Katie received a ten thousand dollar reward check for helping capture the counterfeiters, which their parents made them put into a savings for college.

“ I’m not sure I want to go to college,” said Katie. “I’d rather go to Disneyland.”   Mom and Dad said different.  Sean was not going to argue with them.

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                            
Page 2.

While playing in the back yard with their new dog Scout, the two of them had found a secret pocket on the underside of the dog’s collar.  This pocket had a thin wafer of plastic in it like a computer chip only smaller. They wanted to find out if this wafer had been important to the counterfeiter’s and if
they that had hidden it in the collar’s secret pocket.  Later that morning someone broke into their back yard and tangled with Scout causing a big ruckus, but Scout was okay. The decided to keep Scout with them at all times until they could figure out the meaning of the plastic chip. The three of them went over to visit State Police Detective Calvin Phillips.  He was their neighbor and  lived directly across the street from them.  He had been the arresting officer against  the counterfeiter’s at the old house.  He was not home, so they thought they would wait until he made it back from work to talk to him about the plastic chip that they had found earlier in the day.  

“Is he home yet?” said Katie looking out the front window of their house.

“No, not yet,” Sean replied.

“Ohhh…I wonder when he is going to get home?” She whined.

“Don’t know,”  said Sean.

“I’m kinda worried,” she said, “you know… about that person who tried to come in our back yard and hurt Scout.”

“Yeah, me too,” Sean answered back.

“I think they wanted that chip we found in Scout’s collar.  I hope Mr. Phillip’s comes home soon,” she said quietly.

“Yeah, me too,” said Sean. “Let’s just stick together….okay? I’ve got the spatulas, and no one can get near us.”

“Oh yeah, you’re right. I keep forgetting,” said Katie.  “You’re Spatula Boy.”

C.S. Bohannon/ Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers.                                                                  Page 3.

Sean giggled. “ Yeah, that’s right!” He said holding his hand with a spatula up to his chest and bowing to her.

“I trust that you can keep us both safe,” she said smiling at him and giving a short curtsy.

“Yep, I think I can,” he replied.  “But lets keep on the look out for Detective Phillips anyway.”

“Woof….woof…”  Scout jumped up at the window looking out, barking.  It had started to snow big, white, billowy flakes.  They began to stick fast on the ground.

“Coooool,” Sean said.  “Look Katie!” He pointed out the window.

“Snowwww,” she squealed in a high pitched voice.

“Kids!”  said their mom’s voice from upstairs, “look out the window!”

They all came thundering up the stairs.  It was winter in the Pacific Northwest.  They had predicted snow fall at the valley floor this year.

“Weeeeee….” Katie squealed shrilly.

“Put on coats, mittens and hats,”  said Mom.

“Okay,” they said in unison.

After putting on all their winter gear, they headed down the back stairs and outside.  Katie danced around with her head up and tongue out, waiting for the next snowflake to catch.  Scout barked and barked at her dancing feet.
Sean made sure he still had the spatulas in his back pocket.  He was enjoying the snow with his sister but still was on the look out for anyone that would try to hurt them. The snow was now about four inches deep.  They made snow angels and had snowball fights. It continued to fall.  Scout barked at the yellow tennis ball as they threw it.  He slid in the snow and skidded to a stop, fluffing snow on Katie’s shoe’s, dropping the ball at her feet so she could throw it again and again.  

Finally they made lots of snowballs and threw them all at Scout.  He barked and tried to catcheach one in his mouth until they broke apart.    

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy and the Kidnappers                                                                    Page 4.

Sean whipped out the spatulas from his back pocket.  “Katie throw some snow balls up in the
air.”

“Okay,” she giggled. The snowballs flew up, one, two and three. Sean hit them all with a green ball of energy that came out of the spatulas as he tapped the ends together and each ball broke apart and fell to the ground.

“Okay,” he said, “now throw up three snowballs at once.”  

She looked at him, “ No way, you can’t hit three at once.”  

“Oh yeah?” he challenged her.

“You’re on!” She quipped back.  She made three well packed snow balls and holding two in one

hand and one in the other she threw them up at almost exactly the same time.

Sean held the spatula ends together and directed a green beam of energy that was continuous.  It encompassed the snowballs and floated them in mid air.  

Katie’s eyes got really big, “Wow!  How did you do that?”

Sean shrugged.  “ I don’t know? Most of the time what I do is something I already know.”  

“But how do you know it?” she asked.

“I don’t know, sometimes I…I dream it, ”  said Sean. The snow balls continued to hover above Scout’s head. Scout barked and jumped nipping at the air just below them.  He could not jump high enough to get them.

“Wow thats weird,” said Katie.

“Yeah, I know,” he pulled the spatulas apart and the beam stopped.  The snow balls fell flat all three at once and broke apart on top of Scout’s head. Sean shoved the spatulas back into his pocket again.  Scout shook the snow off his body and barked scoldingly at Sean.

“I’m sorry Scout, I just couldn’t resist,” Sean said smiling down at him.

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                               Page 5.

“Can I try your Spatulas?” Katie asked.
        
“Sure,” Sean shrugged. He handed them to Katie and she grasped them.  She noticed they were light weight metal instead of  plastic like they had been on Halloween night.

“Sean, do you think I can make them do what you can do?”

“Maybe,” he said, “I don’t know?”

She felt the a vibrating rhythm, they had almost a humming sensation.  She lightly tapped the ends together like she had seen Sean do.  Nothing happened.  She then decided to hit them together hard. “OOOWWW” she yelled and dropped them on the ground like she had touched something hot.“Those things shocked me!” She told Sean.

Sean went over to retrieve them.  “Well I didn’t know they would do that or I wouldn’t have let you play with them.”

“I’m never touching them again,”  she said with a hurt feeling in her voice. She turned her back on him. “C’mon Scout, lets go build a Snow man out in the front yard, there’s a lot more snow since there’s no trees.”

“I’m going with you Katie. We can’t be too careful.” Sean warned at her.

“Oh yeah, I forgot. Maybe Mr. Phillips will get home while were building our snow man.” she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

They went through the back gate.  “I’m going to start rolling the bottom right here,” said Sean.

“Okay, I’ll work on the middle part and the head,”  she told him while forming a perfectly round snowball. She then beginning to roll and shape it bigger and bigger.  “Okay I have the head done, now I’m going to work on the body.”  Katie formed another perfect snowball and than began to push it around the yard.  

Sean was huffing and puffing pushing the large bottom snowball around. “Wow that looks great!” said Katie.  

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                  Page 6.

“Okay, lets build it right here.”  Sean stopped in the middle front of the yard with the big bottom half of the snowman.

“Watch out I’m right behind you,” said Katie as she smoothed the body of the snowman with her mittens.  “It’s pretty heavy Sean.  I think you will need to lift it on top.”  Sean placed the middle portion on top of the large bottom half. “And now for the head.” Katie brought the last snowball over with much pomp and circumstance.  “How does he look Sean?” She asked tilting her head sideways and squinting a little.

“Great!  I’ll go get a carrot nose and I’ll see what I can find for the eyes,” he said. “I’ll just be a minute.”

“Don’t forget a hat,”she called over her shoulder.“I’ll go look for some branches to use as arms.”  

“Good  idea,”  said Sean. “I’ll be right back.”

Sean ran inside to get the things they needed for the snowman’s completion. He grabbed a carrot for the nose and some marbles for eyes. “Oh, I better get a scarf and hat,” he muttered to himself.  

Katie was looking for some branches that would make some good arms.  Scout was with her.

The Suburban across the street started its engine and drove over. Two men dressed in dark colored suits jumped out of the front doors.  They grabbed Katie and Scout and shoved them into the back seat of the car. The SUV drove off quietly down the street.

At that moment Sean’s spatulas started to vibrate in his back pocket. He knew something bad was happening.  When his spatulas vibrated it was a warning. He ran  down the stairs and out the door as fast as he could with his spatulas out.  He saw the black SUV that had been parked across the street slowly making its way down the road.

Sean ran to the side yard were Katie should be with Scout.  “Katie!.....

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                    Page 7.

Scout!....”  “It’s all my fault!!” he yelled.  “How stupid…stupid I was to leave them alone!

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”  Sean saw the snow imprints of  the SUV which had been parked  across the

street from Mr. Johnson’s house. He then tracked its tire prints to their curb.  He saw the footprints of

the struggle, Katie’s, Scouts and bigger ones.  He started running down the street after the truck.  He was not  making good time in the snow.  He was starting to tire out. The black Suburban was quite aways down the street nearly around the turn. He’d never catch them.  His throat started to get a big lump in it and his eyes were watering.                                    

At that moment Detective Phillips drove up the street in a white unmarked four wheel drive pickup. He rolled down his window as he approached Sean.

“Mr Phillip….Mr. Phillips…”  Sean was barely able to talk because he was breathing so heavily his throat was dry and beginning to close up.

“Whoa there son, slow down . Catch your breath…What’s happening?”  He said with his calm blue eyes staring into Sean’s.  

“Katie’s gone!”  He blurted out…  “some men…..they took her and Scout.” Sean said with labored breathing.  

“ Did you get a look at the car?”  He asked Sean as he reached police cell phone.  Sean nodded in the affirmative.  He was already on his phone.  “ We need an ‘Amber Alert’ issued for Kathleen….”

Sean’s head was reeling. He thought he was going to throw up.

“Son give me a description of the car,” he calmly asked.  

“Right.” Sean said trying to focus and not get sick.  “Well it was black… a SUV…shiny tinted windows.  I think it was a Suburban.”

“Did you see the license plate?”he asked.

“No..too far away.”  He was starting to catch his breath.

Detective Phillips gave all the details to the dispatcher. Then he turned and said,  “Son get in the truck.”

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                      Page 8.

Sean trudged through the snow around the front of the pickup.  He felt totally numb and not from the cold. He climbed into the pickup and shut the door.  He fastened his seat belt.  Detective Phillips put the truck in reverse and turned around to pursue the kidnappers.  

It was total silence for a while except for Detective Phillips speaker phone.  He could here Katie’s and Scout’s’ names and descriptions coming over the air waves as the Amber Alert was being issued.  “Son, it’s not your fault.” said Detective Phillips breaking the silence between them.  

“I should have never left them alone outside,”  Sean said with a small sob.

“You didn’t know this would happen,” Detective Phillips said with a look of sympathy on his

weathered face.

        “Yeah, I did,”  he continued, “ we found this odd looking plastic chip in Scout’s collar. In kind

of a secret pocket.  We were waiting for you to come home to bring it over.  Only…well it all happened

so fast.”Sean began to fish around in his pocket for the chip.  He pulled it out.  

        Detective Phillips pulled over to the side of the road.  “Let me see that son.”

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                    Page 9.

Chapter 2

Strike Out

Scout had a wire muzzle on his face.  The kidnappers had put it on as soon as they had been abducted.  His sad brown eyes met Katie’s as if to say he was sorry.  She patted him softly and kept her hand on him the whole time to comfort him.  One of the men who had short blond hair was in the back seat with them. He began unbuckling the collar from Scout’s neck.  He was turning it over in his hand.  He went right to the pocket where the gray chip had been.  The one that Sean had put in his pocket for safe keeping. “It’s not here,” he said to the driver.

“What?!” the man driving said in disbelief gripping the steering wheel until his hands went white. “What could have happened to it?”  They were now pulling into an underground parking garage. It was very dark. There were few lights that lit their path.  They pulled up next to a long white van.The van had a name in large red letters on  the side, “A-1 Painting.”

“Okay, little girl. This isn’t a game, it’s very serious,”  the driver turned around and talked through gritted teeth. He had dark hair, cut short and steel blue eyes.  He seemed very cold and calculating. “ We want to know what you did with that little gray piece of plastic that was inside that
dogs collar?” he pointed at Scout, who gave a little growl.

“I.. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said looking down at her lap, tears starting to stream down her face and fall on her pants. She was losing her composure.

“Yeah, I think you do,” said the driver starting to raise his voice and getting more irritated.  He lifted his hand like he might hit her. Scout started to growl again.“ If you don’t want anything to happen to your dog you’d better start talking now.”

“I’m scared.  I..I  just want to go home,” Katie whimpered back to him.

The man in the suit next to her took her hand and said,  “What’s you’re name honey?”

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                 Page 10.

“Katie,”  she answered.

“Well Katie, we just need to get the little gray chip that was in your dog’s collar and then we’ll let you go home. Do you know where it is honey?” he asked her nicely patting her hand.

“Well, we were playing in the back yard and I found this piece of plastic sticking out of Scout’s collar. I..I thought it was just a broken part of his collar.”

“You didn’t throw it away, did you?!”  The dark haired man in the front seat said getting excited.

“No,...no,”  she replied shaking her head and sniffling a bit.

“Well, tell us honey,  where did you put it?” Said the blond man in the back seat again.

“Well…well, my brother,” she sniffed, thinking to herself, “she had to get them to want to pick up Sean or she and Scout didn’t have a chance in the world of being rescued.”   “He… he has it in his pocket. Yeah, he put it in his pocket,” she said again more firmly nodding her head up and down.

“Great!” said the driver in frustration.  “Now we’ve got to get another kid.” Hitting the steering wheel with the flat palms of both hands,“two kids and a dog to deal with.” He rolled his eyes.

“Well, let’s transfer vehicles,” said the blond haired guy in the back seat.  

“Yeah, good idea,”said the driver. “We’ll have to go back and get the boy. It’s the only way.”

“Yes!” Katie thought to herself, “We’re saved.”  She patted Scout some more and it made her feel better.

The two men got out.  The doors locked behind them.  Katie yanked on the door handles but could not get them open. She felt better though, they were going to get Spatula Boy.  “Everything will be all right.” she told Scout and patted him on the head.  He  looked up at her and gave a consoling whine.

The dark haired man took off his suit jacket and put on white painters overalls and a hat.  They were splattered with paint and they looked exactly like they were ready to work.  Katie could see the

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                               Page 11.

two men talking to each other. The blond haired man started back to the suburban and unlocked the door and opened  it,  “Okay honey, I’m going to stay here with you and your dog. He’s going to find your brother,” motioning to the dark haired guy,“then you all of you can go home.”

“Yeah, right!” snickered the dark haired driver. “ You’d better keep your mouth shut and be a good  little girl or you and your dog could get hurt, real bad,”  he said as he climbed into the white van.  

Scout growled again at the dark haired man.

“Easy big fella,” said the blond guy to Scout.

“Okay, back to the house to get brother,” the dark haired man said with an evil grin as he slammed the van door.

They were stuck there in the dim lights of the underground garage, waiting for Spatula Boy.

The back windows were very heavily tinted. Katie doubted that anyone could see in. She sat their

petting Scout who lay next to her while the blond guy read a magazine in the dim light of the front seat.

  

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                 Page 12.
Chapter 3
A Bargaining Chip

“Hmmm, this looks like a digital chip,” said  Detective Phillips as he furrowed his eyebrows. He turned it over and over in his hand.  “You say you found it in a secret pocket of Scout’s collar? Could be why they took Scout, in hopes of retrieving this chip and your sister’s just along for the ride.”  

“Yeah,” said Sean. He wasn’t feeling much better. “Why did they get mixed up with that stupid dog anyway. Who could have known?  He should never have let Katie bring him home,” he thought to himself.

“Well, I’m going to take this down to department headquarters and see what they can make of it. Ya know, the kidnappers… they just might want to trade Scout and Katie for this.”  He held the small gray wafer up turning it over and looking at the other side.” He put it in a plastic bag and then set it in the middle of the seat between them.  “Now lets get you home in case the kidnappers try to get in contact  with you about this chip.”

“Okay,” Sean answered. “A bargaining chip of sorts?”

“Exactly!” Detective Phillips turned around the truck and headed back up the street.  The two of them rode in silence. When they reached the house, Detective Phillips turned to him and said,  “Keep your eyes open son, and watch out for anything suspicious.  We’ll get your sister back.”  

“Yes sir,” Sean said with less enthusiasm. He still had the lump in his throat. As he opened the door of the pickup and got out.Detective Phillips slowly backed out of the driveway. He put the truck into low gear and and
drove off down the street again leaving tire tracks on the snowy road.

The snow was starting to fall again blanketing the ground. Sean noticed the footprints where the scuffle had taken place were almost gone, covered up.  The snowman was still there.  Sean stood

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                         Page 13.

looking at him and thinking to himself about what to do next.  Suddenly he heard a truck door slam shut. He looked up startled by the noise in the quiet snowfall of the late afternoon. It was a white van with “A-1  Painting,” written on the side in red letters.  A man with dark hair got out with a painters hat and overalls on.  He went around to the side and opened the sliding door.  He had a clipboard in his hand.

“Hmmm, that’s odd.” Sean thought to himself.  “He has no equipment inside that van, its empty.”  The spatulas in his back pockets started to hum.  

“Hey kid,”  the guy motioned to him.  “Can you come help me with something? I’m, err.. looking for an address?” He was looking down at his clipboard that had some writing on it.

“Sure thing Mister.”  Sean knew by the humming of the spatulas something was up.  He crossed

the street slowly trudging through the snow. The closer he got to the man, the more the spatulas vibrated.  He thought they might buzz right out of his back pocket. “Kind of a bad weather to be out working in.”

“Yeah, you said it kid. Hey, I need to look for this address right here,”  he was pointing to the clipboard.  As soon as Sean was close enough he grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him into the van, slamming the sliding door behind him.

As the dark haired man touched him, Sean could see his sister and Scout sitting in a car.  They seemed alright.  Katie was patting Scout who was curled up next to her. When he became aware of his surroundings again he was back  inside the van.  The spatulas had slid all the way to the back doors.
He reached out for them and they shot back to his hands instantly like a magnet.  The dark haired man got into the drivers seat slamming the door.  There was a metal cage between the cargo area and the two passenger seats.  Sean could have stopped him with the spatulas but he did not.  He wanted the
man to take him to where they had his sister and Scout hidden.There were few windows in the van.  The very back windows were tinted dark.  Sean could not

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                        Page 14.

tell where they were driving. He put the spatulas in his back pocket.  “Where are you taking me?” Sean asked.

“To your little sister,” he sneered back at him and continued to drive. “ You do want to help her stay alive, don’t you?”

“What do you mean?” Sean shot back.

“You know what I mean kid. We want that chip. I know you’ve got it on you, so if you ever hope to see daylight again with your sister and that mangy mutt, you’d better give it to us,”  he kept talking as they drove.    

They drove for another few minutes and finally descended down, down into an underground parking structure. It was dimly lit and the headlights cut paths through the darkness.  Down further descending into the labyrinth of darkness.  The van wheeled in next to a dark-colored Suburban. Sean knew it was the one that had taken Katie and Scout.

“ Here we are,”  he announced.  “You wait here and I’ll get your sister and the dog for you.”  He got out of the car and left Sean in the van’s cargo area.

Sean checked the spatulas in his back pocket.  They were safe and secure.  After a few minutes the back doors opened.  “Owww,”  Katie said as the dark haired man grabbed her by the arm and lifted her into the van.  Scout growled at him.  

“Easy boy,” said a blond haired man that Sean had never seen before. “It’s okay honey, your brother’s here now, soon you will be able to go home.”

“Yeah,”  the dark haired man quipped, “a regular family reunion.”

Somehow Sean was disturbed about the way he had said it, maybe it was the sarcastic tone in his voice.
        
Katie scooted up and sat very close to Sean.  Scout was laying on their feet. He couldn’t get

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                     Page 15.

much closer.  Katie’s eyes shot a worried look at Sean.  He gave her a comforting look back.

        
“What do you thinks going to happen?”  Katie said to Sean, but no words came out of her mouth.

“What?” said Sean.  “Can you hear me?” he said back in his mind to her with out talking.  

“Yes, I can hear you. I’m scared. Do you have the chip?” she said to him again without talking.

“No, Detective Phillips took it to Police Headquarters,”  Sean told her.

“Wow! This is weird.”  she said.  “Were talking to each other without talking. Do you think Scout can hear us?”

“Ruff, ruff, ruff.” Scout replied as it echoed into the empty dark van.

“Shut up you mangy mutt!!” said the dark haired fellow, pointing at Scout with his finger.  

“Yeah, he can hear us,” said Sean. “ That’s fantastic!”

“How are we doing this?” said Katie.  

“I don’t know?” said Sean, “ but I’m not going to try and figure it out right now.  We have a problem.”

“Yeah, you don’t have the chip and they want it or they are going to hurt us,” Katie said.

“I can handle it,”  said Sean.

“Why are you kids so quiet?” said the dark haired fellow narrowing his eyes and looking at them.

“Because they’re scared,”  said the blond man. “ C’mon, they’re just little kids, leave ‘em alone.”

“Being scared is how we want’ em, right Boy?” he turned to Sean narrowing his blue eyes into tiny slits. “You remember what I told you earlier? REMEMBER?”

“Yes… I mean, yes Sir,”  Sean stammered back still thinking of his next move.

“Well you’d better take it to heart, if you know what I mean,” he said to Sean.  The side door on the van slammed shut and the two men got into the front passenger seats.  The

  C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                  Page 16.

cargo cage was between them.
        
“Where are they taking us?” Katie asked Sean with out speaking.  

“Not sure,”  Sean replied. “Don’t worry, I’m here now.”  The van backed slowly out of the

parking space. They continued to drive upwards through the dimly lit parking garage. Up, up the ramp

they went and the van shot out of the underground garage into the afternoon sunlight.  Sean could tell

they were in downtown Salem.  He recognized the Capitol building with the golden pioneer on top.  

“They had to be in the heart of the city, in the middle of downtown,”  he thought to himself. Next he saw the university, with its towering old buildings sculpted of marble and brick.  “We’re heading east,”  he thought to himself. They kept driving for quite a while, Sean thought maybe twenty minutes or so of straight roads that felt like farm country.  The van began to climb up some steep terrain maybe some mountain roads,  winding around and around. It was getting darker and outside had more  tall trees that he could see from the van windows.

“They’re taking us into the forest. I’m scared Sean,”  Katie said to him without talking.

“It’s okay, I have the spatulas, remember?  I just can ‘t do anything while we’re driving, we could crash,” Sean answered Katie.

“Okay, but I’m still scared,” she said back to him while she patted Scout’s shoulder.  

“It’s going to be OKAY.  Just do what I say when I tell you, OKAY?”

“O-K-A-Y,” Katie quipped back stubbornly.  

Scout gave a bark in agreement.

“Wow, its weird but I think he knows what we’re talking about,” said Sean.

“Yeah, I know, I think he does too,” she said as she patted him on  his shoulder again.  She looked into his big brown sorrowful eyes, which almost made her cry.

The van kept winding up a mountain road.  Sean guessed they had to be near or past the town of Silverton.  Maybe they were near Silver Falls State Park.  There are about ten water falls that are

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                           Page 17

located in the foot hills of the Cascade Mountain Range about twenty five minutes east of Salem. It all fit together.  He was sure that’s where they were.

“Hey, we’re heading quite a ways out,” said the blond guy.

“Yeah its quiet out here, but the falls will mask any noise we need to make.”  The dark haired man patted his side. Sean thought there might be a gun in there by the bulge that hung in his pocket.

“Well, do you think were really gonna need that?” said the blond guy.

“Maybe,” said the dark haired fellow,“We’ll see, better safe than sorry.”

“Yeah, I guess,” said the blond haired guy, even though he sounded unconvinced.

They turned into a parking lot at the upper falls and turned the van’s engine off.  No other cars

were there. The two men got out.  The dark haired man got out his cell phone, dialed a number and

paced back and forth. He had to talk fairly loud because the reception was not the best in the mountains and the falls were loud in the background.“Yeah, we have the kids and the dog.  We’re gonna get the chip from them and then we’ll take care of it,” he told the person on the phone.  “Yeah, there are lots of areas up here to do that.  It’s not a problem,” he hung up and put the phone in his pocket. The two men were talking to each other.  The dark haired man kept using his hands to gesture as he tried to convince the blond haired man of something who kept shaking his head no.  

“Okay,” said Sean.  “We need a signal or password and when I give it you are going to fall flat on the ground. Okay, Katie?”

She nodded her head up and down in agreement, “but what about you?”

“You keep forgetting I have the spatulas,”  he said.  

“Oh yeah, but what about Scout,” she insisted.  “

I’ll watch out for Scout, Promise,” he said to  her in earnest. “You know I love him too, just as much as you do.”  

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                   Page 18

“Yeah I know,” she said.

“Katie, It’s really important you dive flat to the ground when I tell you.  I…I think they might have guns.  I’m not sure but the dark haired guy looked like he had a bulge in his right front pocket kinda like a gun.”

“Oh Seeann, I’m really scared,” she whined at him and hugged Scout.

“I know, but it’s really important that you listen and do what I say.  Promise?”  he said again in a stern tone.

“Okay, promise.  What is the password?” she asked agitated.

The blond guy started to walk back over to the van.  He opened the door and stuck his head in, “Okay kids we have to take a little walk.  We’ll be right back, don’t worry.”  He slammed the door and turned to walk off with the dark haired guy up a small trail. They had a hard time slipping and sliding
up the small trail in the freshly fallen snow. Pretty soon they were out of sight.  

“Okay, the password is…..SNOW,” Sean said, “okay remember SNOW, Okay?”

“Got it… When you say SNOW, I will dive to the ground.  Just be careful, Okay?” she said.

“Okay,  I mean OF COURSE!” Sean said.  “I’ll try to get them to keep Scout in the van.”  

“Good idea,” said Katie.

BANG!!!, BANG!!!........

Katie screamed, Sean jumped, and Scout barked wildly at the door.

Katie said shakily, “That was a gun!”

“Yeah, I think it was. Easy boy, easy.”  Sean talked consolingly and patted Scout.  At that moment, they saw the dark haired man trudging back down the trail shoving a gun back into his pocket.

He was by himself.Katie’s eyes got teary and she started to cry.  “He shot the blond man. He shot the blond man,”

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                    Page 19.        

sobbing “I liked him. He didn’t want to hurt us.  He wanted to help us.”  She buried her face into

Scout’s fur as tears ran down her face. “He was n..n..nice to me,” she sobbed.

The side door on the van opened up. “ Hello kids,” said the dark haired man with a big grin on his face. “Lets get down to business here. You have something I want and I always get what I want. So lets take a little hike up the trail and make the transaction.”  

“Okay, yeah sure mister… err we don’t want any trouble.”  Sean said as he climbed out of the van. “We just want to give you back what’s yours and be on our way.”  

“That’s what I like to hear,”  the dark haired man said as he motioned them to go first up the trail.

“Can we leave the dog here Mister?”  Sean asked. “He could stay in the van.”

“Oh no, we can’t leave him behind; why he’s part of the family reunion,” the dark haired man gave a wink at them.

Sean could feel the spatulas starting to buzz in his back pocket.  He had his jacket on  because of the cold, so the dark haired guy would not notice them.

All four of them started up the trail to the Upper North Fall.  The roar of the water got louder and louder the closer they got.  Sean kept a hold of Katie’s trembling arm to keep her from falling on the slippery, snowy trail.  She was shaking and Sean knew it wasn’t from the cold.

“Don’t be afraid Katie,”  Sean said to his sister with out speaking a word. He gave her arm a tight squeeze.

“I am afraid, I..I can’t help it.  I wish Detective Phillips were here,” she said back to him in silence.

“Yeah, me to, hold it together, ” he thought back to her. “Just remember when I say “Snow” drop to the ground. Don’t worry about me or Scout or anyone just lay there flat, Promise?”

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                              Page 20.        

“Yeah, I promise,” she said.  She was really huffing and puffing at this time trying to catch her breath.

“Mister, can we take a  short break?” Sean asked the foot steps behind them. “My little sister’s not as fast as us and she’s having some trouble keeping up.”

“Okay kid we’ll stop for a short rest,” he said.  Katie stood there half bent over with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.  Scouts tongue was hanging out and you could see his breath freezing  in mid-air, even though it was short shallow breaths that he panted. Sean noticed as they stood there, it was the place where two sets of footprints broke off to another path.  He looked that way thinking that was where the blond man must be somewhere back in those bushes.

“What are you look’n at kid?” The dark haired man said angrily. “Okay everyone’s caught their breath. “Let’s get going its not much further now,”  he motioned for them to continue up the trail.

There were no more tracks in the snow to follow.  It made it twice as hard to walk.  Katie fell down and Sean picked her up.  Scout got right next to her for some added support as they walked.  The roaring of the waterfall got louder and louder.  Soon the trail lead them to the top of the Upper North
falls.  They were beautiful.  The ice was magnificently layered on the rocks like a sculpture of nature. Layer upon layer of ice until it made an icy waterfall. Water frozen in time.

“Okay, that’s far enough,” the dark haired guy said.  “Lets all turn around and face me.” As they turned, they saw he had out his gun pointing at them.  Katie started shaking even more.  Scout started to bark. “Shut up you mutt or you’re the first to go.” He gave a little chuckle, “Oh how silly of me, I mean you’re the second.”

Sean thought to Scout,  “Scout be quiet boy its not time.  You get out of the way when I say ‘Snow’, I’ll take care of Katie.” Scout wagged his tail a little so Sean knew he understood. “Mister, just let my sister and Scout go.  You know that I’m really the one that you want,”  Sean said hoping to ease the tension off of Scout.

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                             Page 21.
        
“Yeah, you’re the one alright, but what if I need to motivate you, that’s where sister

and dogie come into the picture, see?” He told Sean.

“Mister,  I don’t want the chip.” Sean said.

“Then hand it over boy,” he said to Sean narrowing his steel blue eyes and motioning his hand to him.

“FRANK, DROP THE GUN,” a voice came from behind where the dark haired man was standing. Startled, he turned around. It was the blond haired man.  He was hunched over holding his side and had his gun pointed right at Frank.

Katie took in a sharp breath.  Sean pulled the spatulas out of his back pocket with the distraction, while no one was watching. Scout stayed perfectly cemented to Katie’s feet.

“Jimmy, let’s stay all friendly now,” the dark haired fellow named Frank said to the blond haired man.

“Well don’t you think it’s a little late for that?” said the blond haired man named Jimmy clutching his side a little more tightly and staggering just a little.  “C’mon Frank, you tried to kill me.”

“Yeah, I did do that,” Frank had to admit sheepishly. “ But it obviously didn’t take, huh Jimbo?.” He let out a feeble laugh but did not back off. The guns were still pointed at each of them.

“That’s it Frank, drop the gun now, you’re not hurting those kids.  I won’t let you,” Jimmy said again. The two men had the guns trained at each other.  It was a stand off.

“No Jimbo, I don’t think so.  You don’t have it in you to finish the job on me.” Frank said in a low mean voice.

“SNOW!” Sean thought in his head. Katie immediately dropped flat to the ground and Scout laid down next to her.

“Well I do,” said Sean to both of them. As the dark haired man turned toward Sean,  Jimmy’s gun went off.  Sean clapped the ends of the spatulas together and shot three balls of green energy at

C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                              
Page 22.

Frank. He was thrown backwards, three different times.  The third time put him over the falls. The blond haired man, Jimmy crumpled to the ground. Katie was on her feet running to him. Scout was right on her heels. “Oh Mister!” Katie squealed, as she ran to the blond man’s side and dropped to her knees. “Sean, he’s hurt really bad,” she said.

“Look in his coat for a cell phone,” Sean said to her.

Katie groped around his pockets, “found it.”  

“Call 9-1-1 and get some help coming for him.  We can’t carry  him, he’s to heavy, we’ll have to

float him back to the van with the spatulas,” Sean said

“He’s bleeding pretty bad.  Do you think you could stop it?” Katie asked.

“Maybe?” Sean said nervously. He’d never done that before.

“If you don’t, he may not make it,” Katie replied. “Hello, hello, can you hear me?” Katie said into the phone. “Yeah, oh good.  We have a man that has been shot.  We need help.  Hurry…..Silver Falls State Park.  Uh huh, yeah, the North Falls parking lot.  Hurry I’m not sure if he’s going to make it. Hurry, please,”  Katie pleaded with the operator.

Sean had the spatulas out and had the warm glowing light at the ends. He had it directed to the blond man’s wounds.  “There I think that will do it.  I kind of cauterized it to stop the bleeding until help can get here. Okay, lets start to float him back to the van.”  Sean tapped the ends of the spatulas together and encompassed the blond man in a green circle of energy, much like when he would float the snowballs or tennis balls above Scout’s head. He gently lifted him in the air, a few feet from the ground and started to walk forward with him. He had to concentrate to keep him moving and not drop him.  Scout was in the front leading them and Katie was at the rear still talking to the 9-1-1 operator.  It was a little easier walking because there were their own foot prints to follow back down the trail.

“Yeah, there is another man.  He..he lost his balance and fell over the falls and.. and he’s got a GUN!” Katie continued to tell the operator. She put her hand over the phone and told Sean, “they’ve dispatched Life-Flight for the blond guy here, aa… Jimmy.”

“Good,” he said still concentrating. “ I think the parking area is over the next small hill.”

“Ruff, Ruff, Ruff,” Scout barked and ran ahead of them over the hill.  Katie and Sean could hear the faint sirens of the emergency vehicles coming their way.  They were growing louder and louder with each passing second.

“Let’s set him down, gently… gently,” Sean thought to himself out loud. “We can’t let any one see the spatulas.  We’ll just say he woke up and we helped him walk to here before he collapsed again.”

Katie nodded in agreement.  The dispatcher still had her on the phone.

Katie and Sean heard a  man’s voice and Scout’s bark coming up the trail.  “What is it boy?” They could hear the voice ask. “C’mon show me. What is it?”

“Ruff, ruff, ruff,” Scout kept barking. He was leading help back up the trail.  

“Okay boy, I’ll follow,” said the voice.  Sean and Katie could hear a man’s voice and hear the footsteps in the snow coming up the trail.

“Help! Help!” Katie yelled.  A Forest Ranger came trudging up the path with Scout in the lead.  His pointed hat was the first thing they could see coming over the rise of the hill.

“Right here, right here,” Sean and Katie yelled together waiving their arms on the air.  Scout barked and raced up to them.

The Ranger picked up his pace when he saw the kids.  “Are you kids alright? Whoa, what happened to him? Is he your father?”

“No sir,” Sean responded.  “Well its a long story.  Can you call Detective Calvin Phillips of the State Police.  He might be able to make some sense of all of this.”

“Sure kid, that’s my brother,”  said the Ranger.  Can you give me the short version of it.?

“Sir.” Katie spoke up.  “There is a dark haired man that was threatening to shoot us and he lost his balance and fell over the falls.  He has a gun,” she pointed back up the trail.  

Sean shook his head in agreement. “Who’s this fellow here?” the ranger asked.

“Well Sir, he’s one of the bad guys that abducted us,” Katie replied.

“Are you the Amber Alert?” asked the Ranger, “that I heard about.”

“Yes sir.  My sister here,” he nodded, “ Katie and Scout.  These guys picked me up last.  I don’t think anyone knows I’m missing,” Sean told him. “ But this guy,” Sean pointed down to the blond haired man. “um… he tried to save us from the other guy who fell over the falls.”

“We just have to save his life Ranger Bob… Bob Phillips?” Katie pleaded with him as she read his name tag under his badge.  The ranger got right on his radio, 9-1-1 let him know that they had an ambulance en route and a chopper that could land at the south day use area of the park.  He also let
them know that they needed to contact Detective Calvin Phillips of the state police to get to the scene.  They would also need to rescue or recover a second person who had gone over the Upper North Falls.

Sirens and cars started to fill up the North  Falls parking lot. A lift was brought for the blond fellow and they lifted him carefully on. “ It’s okay Mister,” Katie said with tears streaming down her eyes. She was holding his hand. “You’re going to be okay, I promise.”  Then they trudged down the
trail to the North Falls parking lot where the white van was parked.  An ambulance was waiting with it’s back doors wide open. Medics rushed over and  loaded him into the back of the waiting ambulance.  With sirens blaring they took him to the south day use area where the chopper was waiting to life flight him to the  hospital in Portland for extreme trauma patients called Oregon Health Sciences University or OHSU for short.

Police officers  on the scene were briefed about the dark haired man with a possible gun that fell over the Upper North Falls.  They went into rescue mode with their guns drawn. Six officers trudged up the trail and through the brush, lead by Ranger Phillips. The Ranger knew the park better than anyone so he was the lead officer of the recovery operation.  

Detective Phillips showed up in his unmarked white pickup.  As soon as he got out Katie and         Sean ran to him and of course, Scout was first in line.  “Hey, you kids are always finding trouble,” he said in a joking manner.  Katie jumped up and gave him big hug.  Scout just barked and
danced at their feet.  Sean hugged him on top of Katie.  It was a group hug.  Everyone was crying and hugging. “Well, it looks like you’ve solved another mystery,” he said to them in their ears as he was hugged them.  When they all pulled away the kids could see that he had tears in his blue eyes. He wiped them from his weathered face. “ I’m so glad you’re all right. Now, you have to tell me everything that happened….everything! Okay?”  

“You’ve got it!” Sean said.  

“Yeah, we’ll tell it all to you,” said Katie.

“I’m taking you down to the South day use area at the lodge where it’s safer. Climb into the pick up kids and dogs.”  Detective Phillips said.  They all piled in the truck.  Doors slammed, seat belts on and they hurried down the road to the lodge with sirens blaring.

Chapter 4
                                                                     Fighting for a Life

Detective Phillip’s cell phone rang.  “Hello? Hmm….. yeah we’ll be there,” he said as he hung up.  “The blond haired fellow is asking for you kids,” said Detective Phillips.  

“Is he going to be alright?” asked Katie.  

“I’m not sure,” said Detective Phillips, “but he won’t leave without seeing you kids.”  

        
“Ohhh,” Katie’s eye’s got really big and she shook her head up and down in a yes motion.

        
They drove around a few twists and turns in the road and they arrived in the south parking lot.  The chopper was waiting on the ground for the kids.  “Okay, here we are,” said Detective Phillips.

“Heads down, let’s make a run for it.”  The chopper had its blades turning.  After they got out of the pick up, everyone bent down and ran for the open door of the helicopter. They all piled in.  The door slid shut behind them and the chopper lifted into the air.  The children were escorted to the gurney where the blond guy was resting.  

“Thanks for getting here so quick Calvin,” said one of the medics.  “ This guy’s been adamant about the kids being here before he leaves.”

“Really?” said Detective Phillips.

“Yeah, he’s been worried sick about them.  Says he won’t leave until he knows they’re safe and he won’t take my word for it.”

Katie knelt down beside him and took her hand in his. “ You were really brave back there Mister.  We..we really appreciate it.”  He squeezed her hand a little and opened his eyes to look at them.

“ No really,” said Sean.  “You saved our lives.”  
                                                          

A small grin tipped at the corners of his mouth. His face relaxed and he closed his eyes to rest.    

“You just rest,” Katie said to him and she patted his hand again. “We’ll be right here when you wake up.  Promise…..”    

“Okay now that he’s resting tell me what happened,”  Detective Phillips said looking at Katie and then at Sean.

“ Well,” Katie said. “ These  two men came and snatched me and Scout from our front yard.  They took me to an underground parking area in downtown Salem, I think.  They wanted the plastic chip from Scout’s collar.  Then, when they couldn’t find it they turned to me for it. Only I didn’t have it
‘cause Sean had put it in his pocket until we could find you.  So they went back to get Sean.”  Katie finished.

“Yeah, they picked me up next,” said Sean.  “ They took me back to the underground parking.  I met up with Katie and Scout.  Then they drove us all out to Silver Falls Park.  The dark haired guy named Frank was talking to someone on a cell phone.  After that he and the blond haired guy named
Jimmy went out for a walk.  We heard gun shots,” Sean’s face got tense, “and then Frank came back, only Jimmy didn’t.”  

“Yeah,  Frank forced  us to walk up the Upper North Falls Trail at gun point,” Katie said. “ I was really scared Mr. Phillips. When we got to the very end of the trail he turned on us pointing his gun and asked for the chip. Then the blond haired guy came stumbling out of the bushes with a gun, he was

hurt holding his side where he’d been shot and confronted Frank, the dark haired guy.” Sean said.

“Well what happened then?” said Detective Phillips.  
down the path a little ways and that’s when Ranger Bob..ah your brother found us,” Katie said.

“Sean created a distraction and the blond guy fired a shot from his gun.  Frank went over the edge of the falls. The blond guy fell to the ground.  We ran to him, found his cell phone and called for help. He recovered a little and was able to walk some with our help of course.  We managed to get him

“Hmmm,” said Detective Phillips looking over at the blond man.  “I wonder who Frank was he talking to on the phone?  There’s a third party involved here.  Maybe someone a little higher up than these two guys.”

“Yeah,” said Sean.  “Somebody gave the order to get rid of Jimmy and he worked for them.”

“Right,” said Detective Phillips, “And you kids are not going to be safe until that person or person’s are behind bars.”

“Ohhh, that’s why Jimmy wouldn’t leave us,” said Katie with her eyes wide open looking at the blond man laying in the gurney. “He’s a good man Mr. Phillips.  I just know he is.”  

“Yes, I think he is too,” said Detective Phillips.  

Sean nodded in agreement.

“I think what we have to do is get this man patched up and get him to turn evidence on the man that was on the phone with Frank,” said Detective Phillips.

“Detective?...Sir,”  the medic said to him. “Please prepare to land.”

“Katie look!” Sean pointed out the small window. “Were landing on top of a building.”

“Yeah, its called a….. hos-pit-al,” she said to him slowly drawing the word out with emphasis.

“I know that,” he snapped back at her.

As the chopper landed the doors swung open and the gurney was quickly wheeled out by the medics to the waiting trauma elevator. The kids, Scout and Detective Phillips hurried after it. They were stopped at the doors.  “I’m sorry Detective, you’ll have to take the next elevator.  Where taking

him into surgery, you’re not allowed.”  

        “Which floor?” Detective Phillips asked.  

        “Four C West.” said the medic.  The doors closed shut and the blond man was gone. Detective

Phillips got on his cell phone. “ We need a State Police Guard stationed twenty four hours outside all

rooms for a suspect we have in custody.  He just arrived here by life flight.”

        The elevator opened again and they all climbed inside. “It’s okay,” said Detective Phillips.  “I
C.S Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                   Page 30.

have a state police guard stationed by Jimmy at all times. No one will be able to get at him or hurt

him.”

        Katie gave a little shiver.  “ You mean some one might try to hurt him,” she asked?

        “Yep,” said Detective Phillips, “but we’ll keep him snug as a bug in a rug.”  

        “Yeah,” said Sean in realization,“since he was protecting us, they’re afraid he might testify

against them.”

        “Ohhh,” said Katie. “I get it.  He’s in the same boat as we are.”

        “Exactly!” Said Detective Phillips. “Until we can get the bad guys in custody.”

        All four of them got off the Elevator at Four C  West.  Detective Phillips went to the nurses

station, identified himself and asked for a private waiting area.  They were shown into a room that had

a couch and some chairs and a Television. A few minutes later an armed State Police Guard showed up

and checked in with Detective Phillips.  He went out side the room to talk with him.  They talked for a

few minutes and then Detective Phillips came inside.  
        
        “Whats going on?” said Sean.

        “Yeah?” asked  Katie.

        “Well, we’re all under armed guard,” said Detective Phillips.  

        “We are?” said Katie taking in her breath as she said it.

        “Yep,” said Detective Phillips.  “All of us, even Jimmy.”  

        “So no bad guys can get to us?”  said Katie again.

        “That’s right,” said the Detective.  “ We have to be safe.  There are more bad guys out there.”

        “Are our parents’ okay?” Sean asked.

        “Yes,  We have police surveillance around the clock outside your home in Salem,” said

Detective Phillips. “Your parents know that you are alright and what’s going on.  I’m going to have

some blankets brought in and I want you three to get some rest.”  Scout was already passed out on the
C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                 Page 31.

floor next to Katie’s feet.  

        There was a knock at the door and a nurse handed in some blankets and pillows.  Katie took the

couch  and stretched out with Scout sleeping on her feet.  Sean took a chair near Katie.  Detective

Phillips sat in a chair in the corner with a small reading lamp and a file stuffed full of papers.   He also

had his lap top computer on and could be heard clicking away at the keys when not reading.  It was a

comforting sound to the kids.  They all snuggled into their blankets and fell fast asleep.

        They awakened to the sound of the door opening and a cart of food rolling in.  The nurse

brought Detective Phillips over a cup of coffee off the tray.  

        Sean asked, “Is it morning yet?”  

        “Yep, and I think the Doctor will be in soon to talk to us about James Johnston,” said Detective

Phillips.

        “Who?” asked Katie in a sleepy tone.

        “Oh, I mean Jimmy,” said the Detective, he was still working away at his computer screen.

“We’ve got a good breakfast here kids.  I even had some eggs brought in for Scout,” his tan weathered

face broke out into a broad grin and he gave Katie a little wink.

        Scout gave an appreciative whine and jumped off the couch wagging his tail and looking at

Detective Phillips. “See he knows what I said,”  Detective Phillips got up and went over to the cart to

look for Scout’s tray.  It was a plate on the second level with a steel dome cover.  There was a second

bowl with a cover as well.  “Look’ie here,”  said the Detective. He took the lid off of three eggs on a

plate. He set them on the floor.  Next he reached for the bowl and took the lid off.  It was a nice fresh

bowl of water.  “Well those nurses took real good care of you, now didn’t they, Scout?” Scout scooted

right over and slurped up the eggs wagging his tail the whole time, then turning his attention to the

bowl of water.

        “Okay now its your kids turn. I want you to get filled up on some of this great breakfast.  You
C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                   Page 32.

two will need to keep up your energy.”

        Katie went over and took the lid off of a plate and found some toast with butter and a cup of hot

chocolate with whipped cream. “Ooh, one of my favorites,” she squealed. She took her breakfast and

sat at the end of the couch resting the plate and mug on the side table that held a lamp and some

magazines.  She dipped her toast in the chocolate and took a big bite. “Mmm, do you think that Jimmy

is alright?” she asked Detective Phillips.

        “Uh huh, most definitely,” he said not looking up, “or I would have heard the bad news by

now.” said Detective Phillips still pecking away at his computer.

        Sean settled down on the couch next to Katie with a plate of eggs and toast.  “This is great,”

Sean said “kind of like room service at a hotel.” Katie nodded in agreement.

        There was a knock at the door.  “Come in,” Detective Phillips said as he stood up.  A man

in a long white coat came in. He had a stethoscope around his neck and a file in his hand with a pen

clipped to the his coat pocket.  He was tall and thin maybe about fifty years old.  He had brown hair

that was starting to gray at the temples and black rimmed glasses. “Well hello there Detective,”  he

came forward shaking detective Phillip’s hand.  “You’ve got us under pretty heavy security here at the

hospital.  We’re not quite used to that you know?”  He chuckled, “I’m Doctor Jason Mayer.”  

        “Here lets sit and chat a little about our good friend James Johnston. You are taking exemplary

care of him are you not Doctor?” Said Detective Phillips as he pulled a chair next to his and motioned

the Doctor to sit down.

        “Why yes Detective. He is doing quite excellent for everything that he has been through. He’s in

stable condition and we were able to retrieve the bullets.  He was in surgery for close to six hours.

Funny thing you know?”  The Doctor was scratching his head looking puzzled, “his wounds were not

bleeding when life flight got him here. It looked almost, well.. cauterized, yet we both know that could

not  happen out in the wilderness.  Well…what ever happened…. it saved his life.”
C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                     Page 33.

        Katie and Sean gave each other a knowing glance and then looked back at their plates and ate

until they were full.  Detective Phillips then asked the obvious question that all good detectives must

ask.   “Is he awake so we can question him?”

        “No…  no, I’m afraid not yet,” said Doctor Mayer.  “When he comes to I’ll send for you all.”  

Looking over at Scout. “ Hey, you kids have a great dog here.  I bet he needs to get out for a bit.  I’ll

send up an assistant to take him for a walk.”  

        “That sounds great. Can we go to?”  Katie asked looking at Detective Phillips.

        “No…no, I’m afraid not,” said the Detective, “can’t take the risk.  I’ll have an officer go with the

assistant though.”

        “Well Detective,”  the Doctor said as he stood up. “ That’s all I have for now.  I’ll keep you

posted.”  As he shook hands again with the detective he gave a little chuckle, “however, you’ll

probably know before I do when Mr. Johnston wakes up, with all the guards you have posted around

the place.”  

        “I’m sure your right Doctor.”  said Detective Phillips with a grin tipping at his mouth. “And you

know all  these guards are here to keep out the bad guys.”

        Doctor Mayer nodded his head in agreement, turned and walked out the door closing it behind

him. A few minutes later a knock came at the door.  It was the assistant who was there to walk Scout.

        “Hi my name is Julia.  I heard there is a very nice German Shepard that’s had a plate full of eggs

and needs a little walk,”  She had blond wavy hair and blue eyes. She was wearing lavender set of

scrubs and white tennis shoes.  She had a leash in her hand and she jingled it a little to get Scout

excited.  

        Scout wagged his tail but was a little reluctant to go.  “It’s okay boy,”said Katie.  “You go

ahead.”  He got up and walked over to Julia.  

        “That’s a boy,” said Julia rubbing his head and clipping the leash on his collar.
C.S. Bohannon / Spatula Boy And The Kidnappers                                                                     Page 34.
        
        “Try not to be out any longer than necessary.  There is an armed officer waiting to escort you

outside the door,” said detective Phillips.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                               “Yes Sir, I noticed him,” Julia said calmly. “We’ll be right back,”  and she winked at Katie.

        Katie took one of the extra blankets from last night and folded it into a bed for Scout.  She put it

on the floor in the corner of the room next to the sofa. “There, she said now he has a spot to call his

own.”

        Sean clicked on the television. “ Amber alert turns out alright.” said the channel eight news

reporter.  A picture of Katie and Sean is flashed on the screen. “Katie was found at Silver Falls state

park along with her brother and dog. Two men are in custody for the kidnappings. One of the men

James Johnston is at OHSU in the critical care unit after life flight flew him in yesterday with gunshot

wounds.  Police recovered the other man Frank Taylor after falling over the Upper North falls. He’s at

Salem Hospital with some non-life threatening injuries.  Neither men are telling what led them to  

kidnap the two children.”

        “Neither men,” Katie asked? “ But…Jimmy’s still asleep from surgery.”

        “Yeah, do you like that? I thought that up,” said Detective Phillips.  “It makes Jimmy still look

like a bad guy. So maybe they won’t try so hard to come after him or for that matter, us.”  

        “Yeah, good idea.” said Sean looking out the window, watching the bubble-like sky tram full of

passengers slowly floating its way along the cable outside.  “I like that. It might just work.   Really

though, what do you hope Jimmy will tell you when he wakes up.”

        “Well,” said Detective Phillips, “  I know there is a mastermind to this counterfeiting scheme.”

        “Yeah,” said Katie.  “Frank was talking to someone on a cell phone. That’s got to be who it is.”

        “Exactly!” said Detective Phillips,  “I want Jimmy to give us his name and testify against him in

court.   That’s what the FBI wants too.  We’ll cut a deal with him and have him go into the witness

protection program.”
C.S. Boha

Reviews

Showing 1 - 3 of 3