Like We Used To (Nick Santino)

NEW INFORMATION

We are gathered in my apartment that day because Detective Gabby wants to talk to me. He had new information about Taylor, he never tells me much on phone because he wanted to declare it personally. It’s been a while since my buddies went to my apartment, so I invited them to come, too.

“Another report was given to me last night. They spotted Jacksman at an apartment in Philadelphia but he manages to escape,” he begins.

“And Taylor?” I ask, dropping my elbows to my knees.

“He was not with Taylor. The report says he was with a kid,” he acknowledges.

It crosses to my mind that it was Optimus Prim, the kid I accompanied with, the one I meet at Jacksman’s house.  He’s with Jacksman when he was chased by the police, I’m sure by that. There’s no other kid I knew that lives with Jacksman. Except if he kidnapped another mother and son.

“Don’t tell us he drag a little kid in this,” Justin said, he can’t believe what he was hearing and so the others.

“Police from Philadelphia investigate that Jacksman was brutally beat this kid and he always make it sleep outside the apartment,” he added.

“For God sake!” Justin stormed.

Detective Gabby takes an envelope out from his bag and open it.

“An undercover agent sent me some photos of the boy,” he stutters and shows us a photo of the kid.

I grab some of the pictures and I am right, it was Optimus Prime. He loses more weight than I could imagine. More bruises in his body and he was so dirty again. Then a light of angry was alive again.

“He is unnamed child. He was called son of a bitch but he claimed his self Optimus Prime,” Detective Gabby state.

“Optimus Prime?” the three of them chorus looking at me.

“You know this kid?” Detective Gabby ask us.

“No, we don’t know him maybe except for nick,” Erick denied.

Detective Gabby and my buddies are waiting for me to speak, but then I focus more on the attention to the necklace Optimus Prime was wearing. It looks familiar but I can’t see it well since the photo was a bit far from where the photo taker was standing.

“Samantha, who is she?” I ask, not taking my eyes off on the photo that Optimus Prime was with a woman in a cloak hiding his face and Jacksman was behind them.

“Samantha?” the three of them chorus again. I look at them and they are really searching some answer from me.

“How about this picture?” I ask Detective Gabby showing him the photo.

He grabs it from my hand before giving it to my three buddies who clearly don’t understand.

“It was taken last year when Jacksman landed in our country. I got that from a police airport when I came visit all the ports here. Jacksman changes his name everytime he travel except the kid and the woman,” Detective Gabby states. “Samantha Bigen doesn’t exist, it was just a named he used for a long time now and I think that Samantha is Taylor.”

Detective Gabby has a point. If Jacksman can change his name then he can change Taylor’s name too. Why I didn’t realize that before?

“Can you please stop talking for a while and answer us here?” Erick begs, while eating his tacos.

I almost forget they are here also to listen and to be aware with Taylor case because they are helping us. I was focusing much about Detective Gabby’s information.

“How did you knew Optimus Prime and Samantha, Nick?” detective gabby ask, looking at me directly.

I look at my three buddies who are waiting for me to explain and also Detective gabby.

“I broke into Jacksman’s house before,” I begin.

“You did what?” Andrew asks, not believing I have done it.

“Yes, I broke into Jacksman’s house. Meet this kid and told me his mom is-“I was about to finish it but I remember that the kid told me his mom is Samantha. I grab the picture and land it in front of them. “Can you zoom this picture like now,” I order detective gabby pointing to the necklace of the kid.

The four of them look at me blankly.

I give two common necklaces to Taylor but the pendant are not the same. One is an angel and the other one is a star. I bought the two at different places when we travel outside the country.

“I got one of Taylor’s necklaces when we broke into Jacksman house. It was the star.”

Detective Gabby picks his bag and brings out a small box.

“The other one is-“

“An angel. It was an angel and she told me she’s going to give it to our baby someday.”

“And the kid wears this Nick. He drops this when the police was chasing them.”

I open the box and it was the angel necklace I gave to Taylor before. I look back to the past, the last day Taylor talk to me, the day she was lost. I recall what she told me, “I love you. No matter what happen, I love you. Wherever I will go, we will love you both.”

It makes more complicated to think now. If she said “we”, it means it’s not just her.