Marlowe's Massacre | ;

CHAPTER 14

She was small. A toddler around 4 years old and wore a vivid colored sparkling shirt of pink and purple. Her hair threaded in clear beads and her cute earrings were shaped like rainbows.

Bending down, André picked her up. "Hey, baby girl, you okay?" He asked, she said nothing. He had been confused, normally kids would be shouting and causing a distasteful scene, she was quiet and clung onto André as if she was scared. Alarmed, because of this he looked around, no one rose suspicion they were looking for the child. He looked back at her, tears reflected in her eyes as he wiped her face. "Don't cry, I'm here. Do you have a name, my name is André." He chimed just as Max came through the automatic doors of the store.

Turning to face him, André spoke hastily. "Listen man, we have a problem."

Max looked at André and then at the little girl. "Yeah, who's kid?" He asked and maybe for two misleading minutes of his life Max had thought André looked so astonishing holding the little girl that it gave him hope of André being a wonderful father one day.

"I don't know. She's lost, on the verge of crying and doesn't want to leave my side. Something must have happened." He replied just as Max noticed a few details André may have brushed over. The girl had bruises and cuts around her legs and she seemed equally hurt as she was quiet.

"We'll find out. Let's take her to the car." He urged for he didn't think anything good would come if someone tried to show up and harm the girl again. Once he put the groceries away, he bent down to look inside the car. He noticed she had a colorful book bag on so he told André to look inside to see if there was any identification to the missing child.

"The only thing in here is a pair of clothes, a toy bear," He paused, giving the bear to the girl.  "a coloring book and, holy shit!"

"Jesus, don't cuss in front of—What?" Max blurred out trying to be content.

"I think this kid is related to Wallace." André started giving Max a small keychain with the girl and Teddy together.

Within ten seconds, the lost girl held more meaning to Max than before. He told André her name was Dove and Teddy had briefly talked about her to him. Still, they didn't know the true reason why she was left alone and frightened so just as André buckled her seatbelt, Max called Teddy.

She didn't answer. He called again, still the same reply. "Come on, Wallace! Don't be stupid now." André urged as Max pulled out of the parking lot. "Do you know where she lives?"

"Yeah." He answered just as a ring to Max's phone went off. Halting the car, he picked up. He didn't even let her voice greet him before the important message escaped his lips. "Teddy, we found Dove."

~~~

A bundle of cop cars sat outside Teddy's street, new models and even newer rims as the door to the townhouse opened and a bundle of hands hugged Dove. Two police officers came from out the house to inspect Dove as Aunt Macy and Faye went up to Max and André.

"Thank you so, so, so much!" The lady who Max assumed was Aunt Macy spoke.

"Truly it was no problem," Max smiled before eyeing André, his arms folded against his chest as he stood only looking at Dove from afar. His eyes sincere and earnest. "however, you should give all of your wishes to my friend, André. He found her and stayed with her. I was just a bystander in this."

"Son, is this true?" Aunt Macy asked her eyes on the verge of tears.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied just as Faye gave him a tight hug, her cluster of bracelets stabbing the back of his neck.