Chapter 6 — One Life Missing

It was 6:00 a.m. when other loud sound came to the doors of the Bradshaw’s house. And this time around, it was a group of strong men wearing uniforms and carrying guns. And they began asking, if Christopher Bradshaw had come home last night as they slowly made circles around the property.

Ella and Lillian peeped through the broken window while their mother, Ms. Nella, stood firmly at the doorway like a soldier with both hands folded behind her back.

Corporal Banks was among the group of police officers and seem to be leading the squad.

“You know, I’m really getting tired and pissed off with this man?”

Corporal Banks said with fluster of frustration in his voice.

“Where is your husband; is he inside!”

He continued to ask Ms. Nella who remain standing at the doorway.

For a moment, she just stood there without answering with much attitude showing in her eyes.

But upon seeing some of the policemen returning to the front of the house, and frightful of them blasting bullets in her house, she responded;

“Yes, he is here… he is lying on the bed sleeping!”

Corporal Banks stepped up on the front porch, ease his way past Ms. Nella who remain standing in the doorway and entered the bedroom. And just like she had said, her common-law husband was lying on the bed fast asleep.

Looking down on the fugitive, Corporal Banks shook his head, and then bellowed out; “You’re really a hard one to crack!”

“Mr. Bradshaw!” He then shouted; “You’re going to jail!”

Drugged-up with pain pills and also somewhat tired from all the hassling from the day before, Christopher Bradshaw barely heard the calling of his name by the police officer.

Repeatedly calling out the name of their escapee and declaring to him that they were there to take him to jail, none of the officers had gotten any response from their renegade man. One officer felt his pulse and commented that he was still alive while another place his finger beneath his nostrils and stated out with a chuckle; that warm air was coming from his nostrils, alright.

Eager to get their run-away man, upon his feet, one of the officer who had already gone to the back of the house, had seen the setting up of the backyard decided to use some unconventional method in getting their escapee on his feet. So he hastily returned rear of the house where he grabbed one of the washing pales there, filled it with water from the stand pipe in the yard, and then brought it back to the front bedroom where Christopher was sleeping. And there he poured it out on top of the man who had flee from under their care.

Drench in cold water, Christopher Bradshaw was upon his feet and started screaming out profanities.

“What the fuck is happening here!”

He shouted with confusion plastered on his face.

Before the police officers could answer, Christopher’s common-law wife came through the door at the other side of the bedroom and angrily ask;

“Where you men expect me to sleep when you dose my mattress with water like this? You think, I can manage to sleep on cold floors at my age?”

But, her questions were totally ignored.

Instead, all the attention was on Christopher, him being pushed against one of the vanity inside the bedroom and his hands being swung behind him for the hand-cuffs to be securely placed around his wrist. Meanwhile, Corporal Banks kept on asking him, why or who had given him permission to leave out of the hospital.

Draped up by the back of the pants squeezing his testicles and being dragged and pulled by the hands of Corporal Banks and another officer, Christopher screamed out loudly;

“The doctor who treated me, let me through the back door and told me to go on home now!”

“The doctor!”

Corporal Banks and other officers exclaimed.

Furiously, Christopher was once again thrown into the back of the law officer’s truck and being whisk away to the police station. But it was still early in the morning, therefore, Corporal Banks, still in a state of rage, decided he wanted to stop by the hospital, first. And there he would have a word with the seemingly presumption doctor who had treated Christopher Bradshaw and given him permission to leave the grounds of the hospital while still under police watch.

Upon reaching the hospital, Corporal Banks, jumped out of his vehicle, walked through the waiting crowd of patients in the room and eagerly began asking for the doctor who had treated the patient Christopher Bradshaw last night.

A chines man came forward, with eyes so squinted and slanted, one could hardly see his eye balls.

“I took care of him!” The doctor said in a pleasant voice.

“What’s the matter with him… is he dead?”

The doctor continued to ask.

“Why did you release him knowing that he was under police care?”

Corporal Banks questioned sternly.

“How the hell, am I supposed to know, he was under police care!” The doctor retorted with a surprise look upon his face.

“I didn’t see any police officer came inside the room with him nor any sign attached to his forehead saying he is wanted by the cops!”

The doctor continues sarcastically.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t see us brought him in!”

Corporal Banks shouted with all his jugular veins popping at his neck.

“If you or one of your men came inside the room, Sir, and said something to me, then I would have known that he was in; your bloody custody!”

The chinse man with his face, as round as the moon, fired back angrily.

“I’m a doctor, not a mind reader!”

The chines man heatedly said out loud while looking Corporal Banks straight in the eyes.

Suddenly, shots fired, patients and nurses began screaming and the doctor’s big toe was now bleeding!

Looking down at his foot, the doctor noticed that the top of his shoes was ripped apart and his big toe was crooked and hurting. Now, he had stopped speaking English completely, and only began uttering words in chines.

Realizing, no one around him, neither staff members nor patients, understood a word he was saying, he return to speaking English once again. And then in agony, he shouted; “You’re going to pay for this, you baboon!” before collapsing to the floors of the hallway next to the examination room.

But Corporal Banks, probably not caring about what the doctor had to now say since he had already vindicated himself, held his head straight and head on back to the waiting truck and the colleagues and fugitive who were waiting for him. And within the next thirty minutes or so, the group of policemen were back on base – back at the police station where they began manhandling Christopher once gain. Hauling him from out of the back of the truck and then dragging his ass to the inside of the waiting area where without warning, they pushed him down to be seated on a very long, hard board bench.

Seeing his subject seated there, officer Banks thought to himself; “This will teach him a valuable lesson!”

Would Christopher Bradshaw ever learn any lessons from this ordeal, though… this experience of human indignity?

And for three days he sat on the hard board bench, not inside an actual jail cell, but behind the desk of the police officers, receiving little food and tiny sips of water. While watching – keenly observing other prisoners come and go; some being release to their homes and others being sent off to bigger prison facilities for a short time and others for life, and many being slapped and kicked around as they were being processed for taking their positions inside their cells. As though, they were less than dogs and their lives had very little value. Some wanting to use the bathroom and being denied immediate access to do so, defecating – shitting up their pants right then and there in the office for all to see; and then getting whack with a batten for doing so. And others sitting on a pale used for secreting and seeing the eyes of the public on them as they release themselves into it.

Completing his three days of what was known as easy punishment, Corporal Banks, pull the cuffs off Christopher Bradshaw hands and staring him in the face, he asked him;

“Do you now understand what will happen to you, if you ever cause injury to anymore of your children or take their lives?”

“All that you have seen here will be your future!”

He continued to say.

While Christopher filled with shame and possible, bruised ego, turned his head to the side and began letting out tears, as he used the end of his shirt collar to catch his tears and wipe them away.

Believing his subject had seen or experience enough of a prisoner’s way of life, soon the top cop was indicating for Christopher to come along with him. Because, he was now ready to take him home to be with his family.

But upon pulling up at the yard and entering it, the officer could clearly hear the agonizing screams of children in the backyard.

The children’s father was with him… right by his side, so who the hell was beating the daylights out of them now?

Jumping from his vehicle, Corporal Banks made a mad dash to the backyard, where he had to hold onto his chest, fearing that his heart was going to pop thorough his ribs and drop at his feet. Because of what he was witnessing in front of him.

The two younger children of the Bradshaw family were naked, tied to a papaw tree and was being flagged by their own mother’s hands with an electrical cord. Just because, they had wet their beds, gotten up early and was crying for something to eat.

Ms. Nella was not only spanking the children’s behind for pissing the bed and crying for hunger. But also for the deeds of their elder sisters. Sisters who had their father thrown in jail for threatening to slaughter them, after he was given fair and repeated warnings by the visiting policemen; not to lay his hands on his children again in such a violent manner.

However, Corporal Banks in his state of fright managed to shout;

“Woman, what the f***!”

Quickly catching himself, realizing the children might be influence by this very word of profanity, for a very long time, he bit his tongue and rephrase his question.

“Ms. Bradshaw, you cannot tie these babies to this papaw tree and beating them like this. They are not wild animals or a Ginny!”

The policeman said.

“I’ve just tried punishing your husband for doing the same thing to your elder daughters and here you are, doing the same damn thing to the younger ones!”

“What do you think I should do with your now!”

The officer of the law continued with surprise written all over his face.

Still, breathing heavily with an aroused temper, Ms. Nella stopped from whipping the children’s behind and began unbounding them from the very tall pawpaw tree.

Christopher was now standing still in a state of wonderment, presuming that Corporal Banks was going to teach his wife a lesson as well; dragging her off to jail and have her sitting on that hard bench for hours. Meanwhile, many people from all spheres of life, trafficking in and out of the police station for one reason or another, would just stare at her, in shame, or with a look of puzzlement on their faces.

But, he was merciful this time around, and instead, he gave his attention to the crying children. Walking them over to the cistern and pouring water from the pipe onto their whaling skin while asking them for their names. But neither child was able to utter a word to him and just stood there giving off hiccupping sounds while drawing up the mucus dripping from their nostrils back into their heads.

Soon, the corporal was asking for washrags and soap because he intended on giving the weeping children a bath, right then and there. Once they were inside the washing stand, he was asking their elder sister to get them fresh clothing for getting them dressed for the day. While both their parents just stood there watching with frowning faces; uncertain of how to react.

Ms. Nella, in her state of confusion and also vexation, reached for one of the washrags that were on the clothing line and handed it to officer Banks. Ella then handed her mother the bottle of all-purpose soap which was resting inside the bathroom who then handed it to the police officer.

Still in his mood of compassion and mercy, the corporal offered to take the children to one of the local shops, not far away from the Bradshaw’s house, so he could get them both something to eat. And upon seeing this sweet generosity being poured out on his children, Christopher vexing lashed out; “Since you think, you’re so bloody good, at caring for four, five pickny all at once; you want to take them all with you, for good?”

Corporal Banks who was bent over, dressing one of the little ones, immediately stood up straight and with a very stern voice, he said;

“Mr. Bradshaw, just watch your mouth when addressing me!”

But before he could answer and said, “Yes, Sir!”

His wife Nella with an angry tone of voice spoke out loudly;

“After it’s not him who breed and have them!

“Was he the one who lay down with you and get them?”

She continued to question with eyes popping wide open and madly staring, while both hands set on hips ready for an altercation.

Corporal Banks, however asked;

“Do these children have any shoes to put on their feet?”

Ella who had left Lillian at the front of the house and came to the back and was now standing at the back door of the house, listening to what was being said; without answering, ran inside the house. There she fetch the children’s shoes, and soon, returned with them in her hands and handed them over to the policeman.

Although, a very hands-on kind of guy, it seems, it was obvious to Ella that Corporal Banks wasn’t quick enough when it came down to getting her siblings shoes on their little feet. Therefore, she stepped in and helped him out, instead. And moments later, like he had fathered both children, Corporal Banks was now clutching onto the hands of Deon and Devon, holding one in his right hand and the other in his left. And soon he was leading them to his truck for a ride to get them something to eat.

While both their parents stood there watching, with frowned faces.

Although, experiencing and receiving these gifts of generosity, love and mercy, neither parent operating the house of the Bradshaw family wasn’t moved by it. They were still in a state of anger and wanted to show their eldest daughter, Ella, and their younger daughter Lillian that they were still in charge and they both were going to abide by their rules, regardless of what officer Banks was advising them to do.

Determined that no one was coming into their household and controlling how they were raising their children, Christopher and his common-law wife began itching-up… instigating one of the most ridiculous plans ever, but they both believe it was very doable. Especially, since Corporal Banks had come to their house all by himself.

Faraway from the children’s hearing, Christopher and his wife were planning to kill to kill the officer, take his gun and bump his body up the hill and into the bushes not very far away from their dwelling place. They wanted to knock him to the head, take away his gun and then beat him to death.

“That’s what we must do to him!” Christopher said angrily; “I don’t want anyone coming inside my damn house that I built with my own damn hands and tell me what to do!”

“Nella, get the hog rope to tie his ass up, so he won’t be able to move an inch!” Christopher commanded.

But the evil secret plot to kill an officer of the law wasn’t too much of a secret as they had thought. Because, their daughter Ella was inside the house eavesdropping on their plot as she always does; and overheard the conniving scheme of her parents.

Immediately, she knew, she would have to warn the kind officer before he entered onto their property again.

But before doing so, she would have to tell her sister Lillian, about what she had just heard and have her keep guard around her parent while she stayed out on the street and flagged the truck down before it returned on her parents property.

Hearing the shocking news, Lillian began shaking trebling!

She couldn’t believe the news that had just hot her ears!

Killing someone in the yard or house that she grew up into, would be the height of all iniquity spiritually and morally.

Already, she knew that her parents were vicious people… one of a kind in their terrible deeds, but murder, them murdering an officer of the law was just unconceivable to her.

This she wasn’t sure if she could handle, and soon the inside of her was crawling with something and making her feel sick!

Doing so was definitely taking their callous hearts to a next level.

Lillian desperately wanted to tell her elder brother, Phillip about the plot of their parents, of them wanting to cut-short, the life of a police officer; hoping that her brother would stick around the house and help stop their parents from carrying out such an act. Even though, she knew and realized that her brother had withdrawn himself from much activities of his other siblings; not caring about their cries or the arguments that would develop between them or with them and their parents. Because of the severe beatings he had receive from his own father Christopher, causing his mouth to be severely disfigured.

But she try letting him now anyways, because this was no mice and pussy-cat games… a man of the law was going to be killed in the place they called their home. It had many sad memories, but it was still their home.

Hearing the news, Phillip too had a dead-stare upon his face and said very little after hearing the heart-rending news.

“They want to kill the policeman in this house… are you sure?”

Philip asked, talking from the side of his mouth where his jawline use to be structured perfectly.

Nodding her head, Lillian responded with a yes.

“Let the go ahead and kill him, so the law can throw their cruel asses in prison for good!”

Phillip spoke with much annoyance showing on his face.

“The only ones I’ll be sorry for, his Deon and Devon, because they are still unable to fend for themselves.”

Phillip continued showing no emotion towards what was about to go down in their own yard. And without telling any tale or showing any expression of what he was going to do; Phillip hopped onto his bicycle and rode out of the yard in a hurry.

Ella, still out in the bushes at the street side – standing in the high green grasses in the morning sun, waiting almost an hour for the Corporal Banks truck, to make that bend around the corner, so she could quickly flag him down. And then she could secretly convey to him what was about to happen to him… the plot of her mother and her father.

Less than twenty minutes later, there came the big prisoner’s truck coming around the corner with her brother and sister seated at the front of it, seeming happy as can be. Laughing away as they stared at the green pastures at both sides of the streets and the ongoing vehicle passing them by.

Consecutively, three large cars pasted by Ella, preventing her from stopping Corporal Banks truck before he turned on his indicators to drive into her parents yard.

And, as loudly as she could, she shouted out to Corporal Banks repeatedly, hoping to get him to stop immediately. But he was unable to see or hear her because his attention was on the two little ones seated beside him. But not her little brother Devon. His eyes caught his sister jumping up and down with both hands waving in the air and shouted out;

“Mr. Policeman, there is my sister, Sister Ella waving her hands on the street; look!”

Right away Corporal Banks jammed his foot on the breaks, ease himself from where he was seated and began inquiring why Ella was out on the side of street, waving her hands in the air like she was in a dancehall session.

Finally, she was given a break to cross the street, and out of breath, sweating plentifully, she broke the terrible news to the caring police officer, who had come to rescue her siblings in more ways than one.

Hearing the frightening news just conveyed to him, Corporal Banks jumped from his truck, leaving the engine running and the children still inside of it. He then went and stood by Ella’s side. Because, he really wanted to find out the entire story from her.

Giving Ella an intense stare in the face, the officer ask;

“Are you certain, you heard them plotting to kill me?”

Franticly, Ella replied;

“Yes, Sir, Yes!!”

“I even told my younger sister to stand guard and keep listening to their plots, so whenever you return here, we could fill you in on whatever they were saying or planning to do!”

“So where is Lillian now?”

Corporal Banks asked sternly.

“She is inside the back bedroom, Sir, behind the door, listening to my parent conversation so as to warn you.”

Corporal Banks had not only bought food for the two younger ones, but he had brought back food for the entire family. Especially since he had brought back their father Christopher home from the police station early in the morning without even putting salt to his mouth. So, he went back to the truck to fetch the bag of food he had bought for Christopher, with the intention of bringing it with him inside the house and offering it to him as he made his way to him.

Repeatedly, Corporal Banks called out Christopher’s name without getting any response while Ella did the same to her younger sister as well.

Standing at the bedroom door, Ella called out her sister’s name in an almost whispering voice; “Lillian, where are you!” t But no answer came forth.

Ella immediately got a gut urge that something was terribly wrong for her sister not to be answering to her calls, knowing, all that was at stake there… an officer of the law who came to help them might ending up losing his life.

Quickly she dashed to the backdoor and shouted out her sister’s name once again, and once again there weren’t any responses. But, from where she stood, Ella could clearly see the body of her younger sister, hanging from one of the big mango trees around fifty yards away from where the family house stood and both parents were coming back towards the house.

Falling to her knees, wetting her pants and frantically screaming, Ella laid out on the floor to the kitchen with red blood vessels popping from her eyes and cried;

“No!!! Not Lillian!!!!”

Her cry had caused Corporal Banks to suddenly dash from the front area of the house, with gun drawn, where he was observing for any suspicious activities that were in motion to help take him down.

Standing by Ella’s side he anxiously asked: “What is it Ella?”

Her tongue became completely dead and not a single word could expel itself from off Ella’s tongue. But, her finger was still alive and well, so she quickly pointed it to where Lillian’s body went dangling from one of the large mango trees in the yard.

Corporal Banks thought he could handle the Christopher Bradshaw and his wife all by himself, but he was dead wrong! It was now time to call for back-up, but first, he had to run over to where Lillian’s body was dangling from the tree and see if he could do anything to save her. He was an expert with his gun and aiming and firing one shot at the rope, the body came tumbling down while he ran under the tree to catch it. Her body was still a bit warm, but she was totally gone!

The officer laid her out on the dry mango leaves and gave her mouth to mouth resuscitation repeatedly then checking for a pulse ever so often for a beat, but the more he touched her, was the colder her body became between his fingers.

A linger question remain in the air; how did Lillian Bradshaw died, was it murder or was it a suicide?

Still down on his knees, over the freshly decease carp, Corporal Banks pulled his radio from his hip and shouted into it;

“I need Back-up immediately… send back-up right now at Duckens Field, Lot 777, and send the undertaker too!”

Moments later, the brave cop was standing on his feet looking all around him for anything that might seem suspicious in his eyes. But he saw neither Ella nor any of her parents were around him like he had suspected or anticipated that they would; hoping to see their daughter or sister showing some signs of life while he tried helping her.

Hurrying to the side of the house, Corporal Banks shouted out for Ella and then for Christopher, but Ella heard him calling and nervously responded.

Sticking her head through the big window of the police vehicle, she shouted; “I’m here with Deon and Devon, inside your police truck, officer!”

Her cracking voice had brought him so much relief and now he had greater concerns of where her parents could be.

“Is everything all right there, Ella?”

Corporal Banks asked sternly while making his way towards the front of the house with gun held firmly in hand, ready to clip the wing of anything moving around him.

Now, they could see each other face to face, and with an intense gaze over to where the truck was parked, the officer asked once again; “Is everything all right over there?”

And hearing such inquiry, Ella nodded her head to indicate that all was well.

“Where are you parents?”

The officer continued to ask whisperingly.

Understanding the question being posed to her, Ella pointed her finger towards the heavy bushes lay out on the plain of the land in front the foot of the hill.

Corporal Banks now became perplexed.

He just could figure out, what the hell, Christopher and Ms. Nella were doing in the high heap of grass and wild bushes, if they were guilty of anything or for taking the life of their own child.

But, he was in no mood to play Tarzan of the Jungle, so he decided to wait a while for back-up to come. And less than ten minutes later, the back-up crew arrived at Lot 777 to analyze and rectify the problem. The unforeseen problem of Lillian Bradshaw’s death and the sudden disappearance of both her parents.

How did she died, was the puzzling question of the day.

Was it suicided?

Or, did her parents strung her up to the mango tree and watched her struggle as her last breath left her body?

Deep down inside his thoughts, Corporal Banks felt that Lillian had died, because she had overheard the plot of her parents to kill him. And possibly, she somehow had reacted with a sigh or even a gasp to whatever she had overheard from where she hid herself behind the door; eavesdropping on their conversation. And her parents, not wanting their devious secret to be disclosed to anyone else, they killed the only other person whom they believe knew of their cruel plot.

But, her parents running off into the bushes without saying a word to anyone put a new twist on the situation. And now he concluded that the plot was much deeper than he had originally thought.

Was another predicament for the law men to, first, understand and then get resolve.

Thankfully, however, the back-up team was already there which Corporal Banks quickly briefed them on the situation at hand. Although, many of the officers there already knew of this man who viciously wants to beat his children near to death, in the name of disciplining them or showing them how to have good manners to him and his common –law wife.

Subsequently, the corporal began pointing two fingers towards the bushes repeatedly, indicating to the other officers, armed with heavy weaponry that Christopher Bradshaw and his wife were in the deep belly of the bushes. Hence, they should all be careful as they proceeded ahead.

Once again, Corporal Banks went checking on Ella and her other siblings taking up safety inside his truck, and began inquiring from them, if they were doing all right. And although, their eyes looked worried and scared, they answered yes.

Minutes later, the undertaker and his crew was pulling up and parking his vehicle on the Bradshaw’s property. Soon after being led to where the dead girl laid, he began doing a photoshoot of the dead girl’s body.

Snap! Snap! Snap! At and from every angle and then the undertaker had his men wrapped Lillian into a large white sheet and then lifted her body and placed it inside the long white van parked nearby patiently waiting for her.

“I want to know everything!”

Shouted Corporal Banks.

“I want to know if she was murdered or was it an actual suicide… you understand me!”

He continued to speak in a commanding tone of voice and watery eyes.

“Do you need a ride with me or would you like the report later?”

The undertaker asked removing the gloves from his hands.

“What do I need a ride with you for… do I look like I’m dead?”

Corporal Banks lashed out, with anger in his voice and a look of annoyance splattered on his face.

Sheepishly – shamefacedly, the undertaker in his white coat and thick lens replied, as he moved towards his vehicle;

“I’ll have the report prepared and ready for you in the morning.”

Meanwhile, there were very loud sounds coming from the bushes, calling out to the corporal again and again.

“Bossy! Bossy! We need you over here… we need you to come and see this!”

Running off to where the noises were coming from, beyond the Bradshaw property, Corporal Banks was completely shock, about what he had just ran into in or encountered in the wild growing green grasses.

“What were Nella and Christopher trying to accomplish… eliminate and entire family or a damn whole community!”

The terrified police officer pondered, after seeing the two massive graves that were carefully dogged inside the deep belly of the wild grown bushes. As though, they were dogged for a special moment for many others, and not specifically for him alone. Between the two large graves was another huge hole, looking more like a tunnel; a wide enough tunnel for escaping the scene of the crime if they should be caught.

“But where would it lead and what was inside of it now?”

Were, the perplexing questions on the corporal’s mind!