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Staring at his face, she thought of how she used to call him dad—and even lived with him at one time. She also remembered his psychopathic tendencies and abuse; then the torment and hell he’d put her family through. Shaking her head, her eyes filled with tears as she leaned over him and said, “I’m glad you’re dead. You’re a monster.” After viewing his body, she left the coroner’s office feeling as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She could only imagine how her boys felt when they were being held against their will and then, finally rescued from the insanity. Her heart broke for them.

Over the next few weeks, the boys filled her in on bits and pieces of their captivity. Though it was hard to listen to it, their counselor said it was important for them to have the ability to freely discuss it as part of the healing process. Ashley was glad that they were healthy. When she’d learned where they might be and who had them, she feared the worst. She envisioned her dad lashing out at the boys, beating them with anything he had nearby. That was what he used to do to her when she lived at home.

Chapter 10

As time passed and the family tried to recover, the Marshall’s realized it was not an easy task. Working together to move forward, they began group counseling. It was a long and challenging road to recovery, but they knew it was the only way to move on. They’d never been so happy to have one another; there was nothing that would separate them now. Ashley saw to that when she had her dad’s body cremated after it had been released to them. As far as she was concerned, that man could rot in hell. That was where he belonged.

Chloe was the only one who remembered her grandfather from before the kidnapping. And even most of those memories were very vague. The most she remembered was visiting with them at the family visitation center when her grandma was still alive. She recalled the cold, empty room where they sat; a wooden fold-up table with a few toys to play with. Brooke had no recollection of the supervised visitation nor the severe beating she suffered at her grandpa’s hands. She was too young to remember the beating that started their running in the first place. She only remembered him as her pen pal; the one person that she trusted with all of her secrets. The one person, she later learned, that she couldn’t trust at all.

It took the boys quite a while to move past the ordeal, as it was still fresh in their minds. They were the poor souls who suffered in the dark wood-slatted closet as the man smoked day and night, often not feeding them. Both of them suffered from nightmares and post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Through their counseling, they learned how to deal with their anxiety issues and began to build trust again. One thing they had going for them was that they had each other. Until they could learn to trust again, they knew they could at least count on one another as they did in that tiny, dark closet. They were comforted by hearing how much they were loved and missed during their time away from the family. Their parents never stopped telling them, or showing them their emotions. Every morning, night and opportunity that arose, they were greeted with hugs and kisses.

Keith and Ashley were still trying to find a way to heal themselves, as well as help the kids move forward. Watching the kids run and play in the yard, they admired their children as they sat on the porch swing.

“I’m so glad to have our family back,” Ashley confessed to her husband. “I was so worried they were both dead.”

“The worst is over now, and we can breathe again,” he hugged her.

“That’s true,” she agreed. “Everything’s finally over and that’s the best thing I can imagine. Well, except maybe watching my babies grow up and start families of their own,” she smiled at her husband.

“Amen to that,” he said.

At the suggestion of their family therapist, they decided to sell their house and move one last time. It was the only true way for them to finally get past the wounding events that landed them in his office. The Marshall’s debated it for a long time before deciding to put the house on the market. It was difficult to leave the house they’d dreamed of; the house that was their first home they’d purchased together, but it was necessary. Every time they looked at the house, all they saw was the torment and horror that took place there. It was depressing that they’d been victimized into selling their house, but they did what they had to do.

“What do you kids think about moving?” Keith asked one evening at dinner.

“Oh, not again! I’m tired of moving,” Chloe contested.

“Me too,” Brooke chimed in.

Neither of the boys had anything to add. They remembered being taken from the house; they were perfectly happy with moving into another house.

“We hate to move, too,” Ashley explained. “But the therapist said that it would be good for us, and we’ve been doing a lot of…”

“You mean
you and dad
have been doing a lot of talking,” Chloe interrupted her.

“Okay, fine. Your dad and I have been doing a lot of talking and we think it would be good for everyone.”

“Whatever,” she mumbled.

“Think of your brothers,” Keith said. “They deserve a fresh start. I think we all do.”

The girls looked at each other for a moment. “Where would we move?” Brooke asked.

“That depends on you,” Keith answered her. “It depends on where you guys want to go. We’ll all decide on it and start over together.”

“I like that,” Bryce smiled.

“So do I,” Chase added. “I’d like to start over in a new house. This one scares me,” he admitted.

“Then it’s settled,” Ashley interjected. “We’ll all think of places we’d like to live and discuss it as a family,” she smiled at her family.

It seemed like it was only yesterday when the boys were both missing, but it seemed like they were gone for an eternity. She adored her family as she cleared the dinner dishes from the table and watched them lying around the living room like beached whales. Nothing in the world made her happier.

Over the course of the next few months, the Marshall’s talked about all the places they’d like to live. Everyone had their own ideas and opinions. It was going to be difficult accommodating everyone. Chloe wanted to live in a big city, as did Brooke; the boys were indifferent. They didn’t care where they moved; they were willing to go anywhere if it meant escaping their past. Keith and Ashley were surprised the girls wanted to get away from the country, but they understood why. There wasn’t much to offer teens or young adults.

After much consideration and discussion, they decided to move back to St. Louis. It was home—at least to the girls. There were plenty of things to do. With Tim dead and Ashley’s crazy ex half way across the country, they decided that the girls were right. It was time to go back and enjoy the things St. Louis had to offer. Keith contacted his old place of work at Missouri State Bank, who gladly extended a job offer to him. With the money they’d saved from Keith’s long hours at JoMo bank, they had enough to move into a beautiful suburb of the city and purchased a large six bedroom house.

On moving day, the family piled into the van as the movers loaded up the last of the moving truck. The boys occupied the third-row seats. As they drove away from the house, they gazed out the window as they thought about their abductions. They would never have to endure those images again. With the house out of sight, they turned around to face the front of the van. As Keith turned onto the highway, the boys put a DVD into the portable DVD player that they shared and began watching their favorite movie. Their kidnapping created a bond that made them inseparable; they now shared everything. Keith peered in the rearview mirror as they drove down the freeway, smiling at himself. He knew the boys shared something special.

When they arrived at the new house, the kids ran wildly through the humongous, empty house as the movers unloaded the truck. Their worries were over, and they were excited to start school in a new school district. These kids wouldn’t know the horrible past they’d left behind. It was a new beginning for everyone. Ashley and Keith were surprised to learn the boys refused to have their own rooms. They insisted on sharing one; they didn’t want to be left alone. She turned the spare bedroom into a gaming room where the children could entertain the new friends they would make. It was complete with a desk, gaming systems, a small ping pong table and a mini fridge. Shortly after getting settled, the family got another dog. This time, a Chihuahua. In honor of their old guard dog, Peanut, they named the small dog Peanut Butter. The kids picked his name, saying that since he was brown, he looked like something Peanut could’ve poopedout before they cracked up laughing
.

Epilogue

When the boys became older, Ashley started a support group for victims of abuse and kidnapping to help other families who had suffered from violence in their past. They children were advocates of the organization, educating others about what they’d endured during their period of captivity and how they began to deal with their issues. In memory of their past, she started the support group at the St. Louis Women’s Safe House. It was for everyone, regardless of gender, age or nationality. Men were welcomed and encouraged to come. Keith started a program of his own to help men with anger issues who victimized women. Their belief was that through education and support, they could help these men end the cycle that they’d created in the first place.

When Chloe was ready to graduate high school, the family invited Officer Clark, Officer Deltoro and detectives Roderick and Johnson to her graduation. They graciously accepted the offer, not knowing they had a surprise in store. Chloe was asked to give a speech for her graduating class, and with approval from her principal, her speech was geared toward the ones who saved their family. When she was called up to the mic, she asked everyone to please stand. Every member of the crowd stood as requested; she called the law enforcement members up to the stage.

I would like to dedicate our graduating class’s speech to the law enforcement officials who rescued my brothers from a horrible kidnapping. My brothers were abducted by our grandfather and held captive for months. Detectives Roderick and Johnson oversaw the investigation and did an excellent job keeping our family up-to-date at all times. Even if they were scary. Officer Clark was the one who found the evidence that linked my grandfather to my brothers. I’d like to commend Officer Deltoro for finding my brothers as they clung together in a tiny, wood-slatted closet and carrying them to a safe place. He is the one who’s responsible for driving them back to the police station to be reunited with our family.

My goal of this speech is to educate everyone—parents and children—that the person you’d least suspect might be the one who breaks your trust the most. Always teach your children about kidnapping; strangers aren’t the only ones who can do it. I’d also like to tell anyone who’s a victim, of any kind, that my mom, Ashley Marshall, offers a free support group at the St. Louis Women’s Safe House. It’s open to men, women, teens and children. My father, Keith Marshall, holds bi-weekly meetings for men who have anger issues that would like counseling. My family has walked down a long, unpaved road, filled with potholes, but together, we came out strong. As a community, if we work together, we can become a better, stronger community. Please put your hands together to honor the law officials who put their lives at risk every day to keep our families safe. Thank you!

As Chloe walked off the stage, she hugged each of her guests from Joplin that had been invited. The crowd cheered when her speech was final, and the junior choir group gathered on the stage to sing the National Anthem. The seniors threw their caps at the end of the succession.

Even though it had been years since the kidnapping, Ashley still struggled with her fear, though she kept it hidden. The boys were much older now, in their early teens and had grown immensely. Each of them towered over their mother and were almost the same height as their dad. Keith regularly took the boys rock climbing and swimming while the girls soaked up the air conditioning at the mall.

Bad Girls Do It Better

Bad Girls Do It Better

By Aubrey Michelle

Copyright 2016 Aubrey Michelle

All Rights Reserved

This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real people, places, or events is strictly coincidental. This book may not be reproduced or distributed in any format without the expressed written permission of the author. Exception is made in the case of brief quotations used in published reviews.

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