OS: Day Twenty < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Twenty-Two

... And I'll Cry If I Want To!

Bennie's cake was stinky, mute evidence that he never did come home, Drunk or sober. And his work apparently hadn't seen him, either, because Marnie had gotten a call from them, looking for him. She was starting to get pretty worried.

The twins, however, were definitely having a good time. They seemed mostly immune from the melancholy that was sweeping the Malone household. A sadness that was only going to get worse...

Because, shortly after Marnie went to pay the weekly bills, she got a call from the bank. There had been a major withdrawal the night Bennie disappeared, and there was only about 200 Simoleans in the bank. His bonus from the TV show was gone. Marnie took a deep breath, and put on a brave face for the kids.

She may not be able to pay the bills, but at least they still had groceries... for now. So she made some Franks N Beans for breakfast, and called the kids in to eat.

It was clear to Jaz that something was wrong. I mean, other than the fact that Bennie seemed to be missing. Jaz didn't quite know what to do about it, though. They were a bit afraid to try to call Gemma with Marnie watching everyone's moves closely, though, so Jaz simply looked forward to Tuesday's appointment.

In Willow Creek, at the police station...

Chief of Police Scott Barrier was prepared for a long day. He'd already interviewed Benji's associates, and knew most of the story.. so getting a confession would just be icing on the cake. But there was one major piece missing, and he meant to get it out of the youngster in front of him.

"So.. Benji, huh? How'd you get saddled with a dog's name?" Scott asked, sitting down across from Benji.

"It's not a dog's name." Benji growled. "It's just short for Ben Jr."

"You mean you've never seen the movie Benji??" Scott joked.

"There's a movie?" Benji asked, clueless as to why the man was talking about movies and dogs.

"Yeah, it's about a stray dog that.. oh, who am I kidding, it's a sad movie anyway. You didn't miss much." Scott smiled, and pulled out some file folders.

"Let's go over what we know. We know you robbed several retail stores in the area. Most petty crimes, just a few bucks worth of stuff here and there. We also know you and your girlfriend, Shaylee, robbed the Landgraabs the night before Winterfest. You spent most of that on a party for your family.. which was nice and noble.. but still.. misguided. So your gang got greedy. You went for the Goths and made out like true bandits." Scott began, flipping through the file in front of him while watching Benji's face flash briefly with pride about the Winterfest party and the Goth robbery.

"And?.. What do you need me for, if you already know everything?" Benji said, full of bluster.

"We're missing one important detail. None of these robberies triggered an alarm. They were still caught on surveillance.. so don't try to say it wasn't you doing the deed.. but the videos were all closed circuit at the victim's residence, so the alarm company was completely in the dark. Literally. How'd you get past the alarms? Master Codes? Inside knowledge?"

"I am not telling you anything." Benji spat out, knowing it was best that he kept quiet. Even if it was about a detail that should have been obvious.

"Really? That's how you're playing this?" Scott asked, drily.

Benji just sat there and looked at him. Sighing, Scott just watched him for a moment, but apparently Benji was used to staring matches having grown up in so large a family.

"Fine. I have something else to show you." He reached down beside him and pulled out another file folder.

"These are the surveillance shots. The big-ticket item was Ms. Goth's prize violin. Now, that's the piece that takes this crime from petty larceny to grand larceny, simply by value alone. We know your girlfriend, Shaylee, is the one who actually took it."

Scott slid the still images from the video across the table at Benji. Benji looked at the pictures with a smug smile, then looked back at Scott, still silently.

"At this point, we know you're the ringleader. Most of your friends will be free to go. But Shaylee, now, she's in for the long haul, just like you. Because she took that violin. If you cooperate with us, and explain the alarm thing, help us find the missing violin, and tell me that Shaylee only took it because you told her to.... I can maybe see that Shaylee gets less time." Scott picked up the images and slid them back into the folder.

"Now, I can understand that you want to keep yourself out of trouble, but making Shaylee pay for something that wasn't her idea seems pretty mean. Especially as she knows that whether she does hard time or not is riding completely on you. I don't think she's likely to be very happy with you if you keep holding out on us." Scott said slyly, watching a sort of panic cross Benji's face.

But after that brief moment, Benji stayed quiet.

"Fine. Think about it. I'll talk to you more tomorrow." Scott started to stand up, and gather his file folders.

"So, if I talk, Shaylee gets what? A shorter sentence? Or can she go free? I need to know what the deal actually is."

Scott smiled to himself. Jackpot. "I can see to it that she gets only time already served after the trial. She'll go free."

"And Shay will know it was ME who got her out of hard time, right?" Benji said, still stalling.

"Of course." Scott said, taking out a pen and a paper.

With a big sigh, Benji rubbed his hands together. "Okay. The violin is at a storage locker. We haven't been able to find a buyer for it yet, unfortunately. I can tell you where it is. As for the alarm, you must not be very perceptive. Londyn has an inside man at the alarm company. They've been dating for months. She can get any alarm code to any house for miles around. We just had to cherry-pick which houses we wanted to hit. And none of this was Shaylee's fault. She was only along for the ride. Her idea of stealing things is candy bars from the shops." Benji snickered, then sighed and continued, "What else do you need to know? Is that enough to let Shay go free?"

"Not bad, son. Not bad. There are a few other details you could clear up, though. There used to be a suit of armor in front of your Dad's store. We've heard tell a remarkably similar one has come up for sale at an auction not too long ago. Your Dad, however, knew nothing about it when we talked to him. In fact, he had no idea it was worth anything. You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?" Scott asked.

Looking down guiltily... Benji said, "If I tell you that, can you get me another phone call?"

Scott looked at him quizzically. "Of course."

"Alright, Yeah. That's where I got the money to get out of that rat's nest of a house with Shay."

"Ahhh. Okay. Now that's better. All you need to do is write a statement about what you just told me. I assume you actually know how to write, despite your high school grades?" Scott slid some paper and a pen towards the young man, as he watched anger rise into Benji's face.

Benji snatched the pen. "Of course I can write, you fool...." and looked down, immediately starting to write.

Scott Barrier stood up, adjusted his hat, and smiled to himself. Easy as taking candy from a baby. Not that he would do that sort of thing, mind you.

Much later, he handed the young man a phone, and watched him with a bemused look, wondering who he was going to call.

Marnie's phone rang later that afternoon, and she answered it nearly right away, only to find out it was from the Willow Creek Police Department. Thinking it might be Bennie, stuck in the drunk tank or something, she okayed the charges (glad that the phone hadn't been cut off for non payment... yet...) .. and waited to hear Bennie's apology. (She had answered the phone so fast, she hadn't bothered to check caller ID..)

"Hey, ... Mom?" Benji started, hesitantly.

"Benji!! What on earth are you doing at the police department?" Marnie asked, taken aback.

"I'm in jail. I thought Dad would have told you." Benji replied.

"Um... no. Actually, Benji, your father is missing. I haven't seen him in a couple of days. .. but.. wait.. why are you in jail?" Marnie was confused, and the news that her eldest son was in jail felt like a blow to her chest.

"He's .. what?" Benji asked, stunned.

"We.. uh .. we had a big fight. About me being pregnant again. We both said some things we shouldn't have. He slept on the couch that night. When I woke up, he was gone. Nobody has seen him since." Marnie kept the bit about the missing paycheck money and the unpaid bills to herself. "Did he say anything to you about where he might have gone?"

"No, Mom, I have no idea. I was just calling to see if you could call to get a good lawyer for me and Shay. I don't care about the rest of the gang, but me 'n Shay definitely need some help, here." Benji said, trying not to sound desperate.

"Benji, hon, I can't afford a good lawyer." Marnie finally confessed with a sigh, "I can't even pay the bills. Your father took all the money that was in the bank with him."

"Oh." Benji said, trying to process the news that his Dad was probably gone for good from the sounds of it. Running off with the cash was taking a page out of Benji's book, but it definitely sounded permanent. "Um... Yeah. I have no idea where he could have gone. Maybe you should go to the cops. I mean - about him being missing. Maybe something happened?"

Marnie thought for a moment, then answered, "I should probably do that. I'm sure the kids can keep the twins busy for a couple hours. Since I can't afford a sitter...." her voice trailed off.

"30 seconds! Wrap it up, son!" the officer barked, startling Benji.

"Oh, uhhh.. Mom? I gotta go."

The last thing he heard from Marnie was a faint "Okay" and a click as she hung up. Looking at the phone for a moment, still reeling from the news of Bennie's disappearance, Benji looked a bit like a deer in headlights.

The officer took the phone back, and escorted Benji back to his cell.

Benji, for once glad he had a cell to himself, laid back on the bed morosely, trying to process all that had happened that day.

... Elsewhere in the jail, his cohorts all had things on their minds, too. But getting Benji a good lawyer wasn't one of the things they were concerned about.

Also in a cell by herself, Shaylee was curled up in a ball on her bed. She'd been feeling sick to her stomach for several weeks now, and she was afraid she knew what the cause might be. She had never said anything to Benji, however.... because, based on the timing of the sickness, it wasn't Benji's baby. She didn't think he was going to be all that happy about who's baby it was, either. Maybe she could just not tell him. What he never knew wasn't going to hurt him, right? ...

(Message gotten on Marnie's phone after talking to Benji...)

Later, also at the police station:

"Ma'am? Can I help you?" an officer asked from behind the desk.

"Yeah. I .. uh.. need to report my husband missing." Marnie said, standing up and walking over to the man.

"Oh? How long has he been gone? We can't put in a missing persons report for at least two days, you know.."

"Oh, it's been more than that. His cake spoiled." Marnie paused, swallowed, and apologized, "Sorry, It was his birthday that he went missing on. He also drained the bank account."

"Oh? Well, then that's different. What's his name?" the officer asked, sitting beside her.

"Bennie.. I mean Benjamin Malone. Senior." Marnie replied, hoping against hope that the man would recognize the name and be able to tell her something. Hopefully good news.

Scott Barrier gasped. The coincidence was uncanny. "Bennie, huh? I would assume he's Ben Jr's Father? Has he a history of disappearing?"

"No, of course not." Marnie said sharply. "What can we do about the missing money, by the way.... And how do I fill out a missing persons report?"

"Here, Ma'am, just come to my office. I can help you with that. We can put in a report about both. But I will tell you.. You're not likely to see a penny of that money every again if he did take it when he left."

Marnie hid her face in her hands for a moment. Then, she managed to get herself together. "Well, then. Let's get this report done. I need to get back home to my kids."

OS: Day Twenty < | Challenge Home Page | > OS: Day Twenty-Two