Date: Fri, 2 Dec 2011 04:08:03 -0500 (EST)
From: Bwstories8@aol.com
Subject: Castaway Hotel: Next Generation, chapter 14

The Castaway Hotel: Next Generation - by BW
Copyright 2011 by billwstories
Chapter 14 – The Worst is Over.

Halloween was now less than a week away, but the boys
had decided against canceling the Haunted House.  For a
brief time, Jesse and his friends had thought it might be
best to forgo this activity, in deference to Elliot's
condition.  However, now that he was on the mend, they
decided to go ahead with it.

Now that he's started speaking again, Elliot has become
fairly close to Jesse.  At first, I believed it was only
because they shared a similar traumatic experience, but it
didn't take long before I could see there more to it than
just that.  Jesse was eager to introduce Elliot to his
friends when they came over to our place to work on the
Haunted House.  Each of those boys treated Elliot very
well and even took time to chat with him, in an effort to
ask questions about his life.  They didn't include Elliot in
on what they were doing for the Haunted House though,
because they wanted him to be surprised when they took
him through it.  Since I thought this was reasonable, I
helped keep Elliot busy while they were working.

Now that Elliot was recovering, Danny, Brandon and I had
other issues to take into consideration.  First of all, we
needed to talk about his academic future.  Up until now,
we had agreed not to enroll him in school, for a couple of
reasons.  First, he had been uncommunicative until
recently and, second, we were concerned if he would be
able to deal with social interactions.   His father's murder
had taken such an extreme psychological and emotional
toll on him that he had become reluctant to deal with
anyone unfamiliar to him.  Therefore, we felt it would be
useless to place him in a classroom setting and force him
to deal with situations he might not be ready to cope with.
Now that he is doing better and interacting with some of
Jesse's friends, we concluded it was time to finally enroll
him.

After talking about this at great length, we decided to give
him a few more days to recuperate before subjecting him
to the rigors of a new high school.  We'd wait until the
following Monday, which would be the first Monday in
November, to get things started.  In the meantime, Danny
and Brandon could discuss the situation with Elliot and
explain why he would be going to a public school, rather
than a private one.  Once these decisions had been made, I
realized it was time to discuss another issue.

"Okay, how do you want to handle the police now," I
asked.  "You know they've been calling nearly every day
wanting to know when they can speak with Elliot."

"What do you think?" Danny asked me in return.  "I'd like
your opinion before I give you mine."  I thought that
sounded fair.

"I think Elliot might be able to handle speaking with them
now, with one stipulation," I answered, "I feel one of us
should be with him when he is questioned.  He's been
through a lot, but I think he can handle the pressure, as
long as one of us is there for moral support and to protect
him.  Whoever is with him can make sure things don't get
out of hand and the police don't get too aggressive."

"Do you really think he's ready for this?" Brandon
questioned.  "I mean he's just starting to come out of his
shell."

"I know, but he was able to open up to me and then share
his story with you," I answered.  "I believe it also helped
for him to get it out of his system, because he had been
holding in a lot of guilt.  It was difficult for him to do this
at first, but he seemed to have a much easier time telling
you.  He was also able to answer your other questions as
well, so I think he will be able to do the same thing with
the police, as long as they don't get too rough with him."

"If that's what you think, then would you call the
detective back and set it up?" Danny asked.

"I'll just wait and suggest it to them when they call
again," I recommended.  "When would be a good time for
you to have me schedule this?"

"I have Saturday off again and Brand only works until
noon.  Right honey?" Danny stated.

"Yes, I get off around noon," Brandon confirmed.

"Okay, what if I set it up for like two or three on Saturday.
Will that be all right?" I asked.

"That would be fine with me," Brandon agreed, "but would
you be willing to go with us when the time comes?"

"I think that might be a little overkill.  You don't really
need me," I responded.

"Brandon's right!  I'd feel better if you were there," Danny
confirmed.  "You were there when the police took us in for
questioning and you know more about handling these
types of situations than we do.  I think it would be best for
Elliot if you were there with us."

"And how will we explain all of this to the police?" I
wondered.  They took a minute to think about this before
responding.

"We're his parents, I'm his doctor and you are his legal
guardian," Danny began, "If they can't agree to these
ground rules, which as his doctor I feel are necessary for
his protection, then I won't allow him to be interviewed."

"I'm not sure they'll like that," I replied.

"If they don't, then like Danny said, we won't allow them
to question him," Brandon jumped in.

"That's a pretty risky gambit," I shot back.

"Maybe, but we feel strongly about this and we want you
there too," Brandon stated.  "Will you go with us?
Please?"

"Dad, I also think Elliot would feel more comfortable if
you were there with us," Danny added.  "Keep in mind,
Elliot opened up to you first, so I think it would make it
easier for him if you were there when he had to relive it
again."

"I appreciate that, but I'm still not convinced..." I began,
but Danny cut me off.

"Dad, let's be honest.  Elliot has been spending far more
time with you than us, because you're home with him all
day long, while we're at work.  We've both noticed that
Elliot seems to relax when you're near him, so you'd really
be making this easier on him if you were there with us
when he does this."

"Okay, you may be right, but I'm still not sure the police
are going to allow it," I conceded.  "If the detective will
agree to let me go in with you, then I have no problem
doing so.  It's just that I don't want to push my way into
the picture and step on any toes in the process either."

"Dad, you know better than that," Danny responded.  "We
trust you completely and wouldn't even have Elliot, if we
didn't have your support.  That's why we'd like you to
take an active part in helping us raise these boys, if you're
willing.  You've still got a lot to give and Brandon and I
have a great deal to learn about being parents."

"Guys, I'll be happy to help out in any way I can, so don't
worry about that," I agreed.  "I just didn't feel it would be
wise for me to take more boys in on my own, because I
was concerned that I might not be around as long as they
needed.  At least with you two coming back and taking
over, I know they'll always be someone here to watch over
our family.

"Yes, Jake would have been here if something had
happened to me," I continued, "but sometimes he has
problems dealing with situations as they come up.  Jake's
admitted to me, on more than one occasion, that he
doesn't feel he did a good job with Shannon when they
were on their own.  He says that only improved when they
moved in with us.  He's also told me he doesn't always feel
comfortable when addressing certain issues, but now you'll
be here to handle the situations Jake isn't comfortable
with.  With you and Brandon in charge and Jake around to
help you out, you'll be able to work together and take care
of anything that pops up.  That is why I'm no longer
worried about what will happen if I'm not around."

"But that's not going to happen.  You're going to be with
us for a long time to come," Brandon stated, adamantly.

"We can't be sure," I confessed.  "But with you two and
Jake to look after the boys, I'm not as worried about what
will happen to them without me.  Besides, Trey and Dion
have come home and taken over most of the responsibility
for Joshie, so I don't have that to worry about either.  I'm
certain they'll be willing to help you too, if they opt to
stick around.  In the meantime, I'm willing to do whatever
I can, as long as you need me."

"Oh, we need you and want you involved," Danny assured
me.  "Elliot needs a lot of attention right now and we
couldn't have done this without knowing you were going
to be around to look after him during the day and
whenever he's not in school."

"I'll admit, I've enjoyed having him around," I confessed.
"I also think it's good for Jesse to have Elliot here as well.
Seeing them together these past few days has brought
back memories of the good old days, when you two were
much younger."  Danny and Brandon smiled.

"Like the time right before and just after our first trip to
D.C.?" Brandon asked.

"Yes.  I remember that trip as if it happened yesterday," I
admitted, while growing a bit nostalgic.

"Well, it seems a little longer than that for us," Danny
teased, "but I remember that trip with many fond
memories."

"Like the first time we made love," Brandon interjected,
with a bit of a sigh.

"Yeah, that too," Danny agreed, and then he had an
afterthought.  "You don't think those two are messing
around, do you?"

"No, I don't believe they're doing anything sexual, at least
not yet," I replied.  "Jesse probably would have said
something first, before he did anything, but I believe that
spending time with Jesse has helped Elliot feel more
comfortable about being here."

"Yes, I can remember what that was like too," Danny
admitted.  "When I first came here, it wasn't very easy for
me either.  If you can remember back that far, I was really
scared after my father threw me out.  It was mostly
because I had no idea where I was going to live or what I
was going to do, and then suddenly I was put here with
you and Ricky.

"Having Ricky around did end up making it easier for me
to feel that I could fit in here too, especially after I
learned he wasn't your biological son either.  I figured if
you had taken him in and he was happy and felt like he
belonged, then maybe it could work out for me too.  That
was a big concession, since when I first showed up here, I
still felt that being thrown out of my house was the worst
thing that could ever happen to me.  In the end, it turned
out to be the best break of my life, especially after I met
Brandon too."

I could tell both Danny and Brandon were thinking back to
those times and getting a little teary eyed in the process.
Therefore, I thought it would be best to put an end to this
little stroll down memory lane, before they became too
maudlin.

"Okay, I'll take care of arranging for Elliot to talk to the
police then," I told them, "but I'll let you enroll him in
school."

"That's fine," Brandon agreed.  "I'm going in to work a
little later on Monday, so I'll have time to do it."

Seeing those matters had been taken care of, I told Danny
and Brandon that I was going off to find Elliot.  I thought
it might be best to discuss this idea with him first, before
the police called again.  I didn't want us to commit to
anything unless Elliot thought he could handle it too.  I
wanted to get it straight from the horse's mouth.  Elliot
was back in the rec room with Jesse, so I didn't interrupt.
When I saw him come out, a short time later, I asked if I
could speak with him.

"Did I do something wrong?" Elliot asked, right away.

"No, not at all," I answered.  "I just need to see what you
think about something."

"Okay, what's up?" he answered, while giving me a
questioning glance.

 "I think you know the police have been calling almost
every day, because they want to talk to you about what
happened," I confirmed.

"Oh, yeah.  I know they've been calling," he admitted.

"Do you think you're ready to do this yet?" I followed.  "I
don't want to tell them you are, if you aren't sure.  Danny
and Brandon have said they're willing to go with you on
Saturday, if you think you can do this, so I need to know
if you think you're ready."

"Do you know what they're going to ask me?" Elliot
wanted to know.  He looked worried.

"The police will want to know what happened on the last
night you were with your father, beginning at the
restaurant and up until they found you in the woods," I
explained.  "Do you think you can do that?"

"All I have to do is tell them what I told you.  Right?" he
asked, and I nodded.  "Okay, I think I can do that then."

I was glad to see he looked confident when giving his
answer, so now I just had to pray what actually happens
isn't harder on him than what he's envisioned.  A bad
experience might trigger a setback in his recovery.

The next time the police called, I explained that Elliot had
recently started talking again and then agreed to bring
him to the station house Saturday afternoon, so they
could finally speak with him.  The detective on the other
end of the call seemed thrilled that we had finally agreed
to let them hold this meeting with Elliot, but I warned him
that Elliot's condition was still fragile and he might shut
down if they pushed him too hard.  He said he understood
and would try to take it easy on him.  However, I didn't
tell him we were all coming down with Elliot too, because I
didn't want to give his department time to prepare their
opposition to our being there.

When Brandon got home from work on Saturday, he took a
few minutes to clean up and change first, before we took
Elliot to the police station.  Once he was ready, we led
Elliot to the car and made our way there.  Upon entering
the building, we went directly to the front desk,
announced our arrival and then stated the reason we were
there.  The officer on duty then made a quick phone call,
to pass the message along to the detective division.

When the detectives came out to greet us and learned
what we wanted to do, they tried to limit us to just one
person going in with Elliot.  However, Danny and Brandon
stood their ground.  They gave the detectives an
ultimatum.  Either we all are allowed to go in with Elliot
or they'd have to wait until he has completely recovered
from this traumatic episode.  Reluctantly, the detectives
eventually gave in.

We were then led to a small room, where the questioning
would take place.  Even though they had three or four of
these types of rooms, it just happened that they took us
to the same room where, several years previously, some of
my sons had been interrogated about their involvement in
David Hubbard's severe beating.  That incident had
included Danny and Brandon, and I saw a dark glimmer of
recognition when they saw where we were going.   I
assumed being led here had dredged up some painful
memories for them.

The interview started out with Elliot repeating the same
story he had told us.  Then, one of the detectives began
asking him questions about that night.

"So you didn't see anyone at the motel or hear what they
were saying?" the detective asked, and Elliot shook his
head.

"But you did see the men at the restaurant?" the
detective followed, and Elliot nodded.

"If I show you a bunch of photographs, do you think you'll
be able to recognize those guys and point them out to
me?" the detective wondered.

Elliot looked at us first and we could tell he had suddenly
grown quite nervous, so Danny placed a reassuring hand
on his shoulder.

"I'll try," he said, meekly.

The detective then got up and walked over to a cabinet.
He opened the door, took something out and then came
back to the table carrying two cardboard sheets.  Each one
had multiple photos attached to it.  He set the first one
down in front of Elliot.  Elliot looked the pictures over
carefully and pointed to one of them.  The detective then
asked if he recognized anyone else and Elliot told him no.
The detective quickly set down the other sheet, and after
studying it for a while, Elliot pointed at another of the
photos.

"Do you recognize anyone else?" the detective barked.

When Elliot shook his head, the detective reached out and
grabbed Elliot's shoulder and began to shake him slightly.

"Concentrate!  Look at them again!" he ordered, and Elliot
suddenly looked terrified.

"Get your hands off of him!" Brandon shouted, while rising
from his chair.  "You touch him again and we're out of
here."

Brandon then moved over to comfort Elliot.

"I'm sorry," the detective responded, although his delivery
seemed to be lacking in sincerity.  "But isn't there anyone
else you recognize?"

"One guy looks a little familiar, but I'm just not sure
why," Elliot stated.

"Point that one out to me then," the detective ordered,
forcefully.

"No, because I'm not sure why he looks familiar," Elliot
replied.  "It may just be that I saw him somewhere else or
he could have been one of the people eating at the
restaurant that night."

"Come on, kid, just point him out to me," the detective
pleaded.

"He's not going to do it, so take what he's given you,"
Danny said, quite forcefully.

The detective stared threateningly at him for a few
moments and then nodded.

"Well, he's picked out two of the three men we've taken
into custody and interrogated," the detective
acknowledged.

He didn't seem thrilled about this, but he wasn't totally
upset either.  He then tried to push to get more
information out of Elliot, but Elliot kept telling him he
didn't know anything else.  When the detective got too
persistent and aggressive again, Danny and Brandon ended
the interview and we took Elliot home.  Of course, the
detective was upset about this sudden turn of events and
objected vehemently, so I jumped into the fray.  I
informed the detective that any further questions should
come through Danny, Brandon or me first and then we'll
relay Elliot's answer.  If that wasn't good enough, then he
could just contact our attorney.  To say the least, he was
pissed.

On the way home, Elliot thanked us for making the
detective stop when we did.  He told us the guy was
making him nervous and scaring him so badly that he
couldn't even think.  We told him we understood and then
assured him he wouldn't have to speak directly with that
man again.

Once we were sure Elliot was feeling better, Danny turned
to me and spoke.

"Did you recognize that room we were in?" he asked.

"I did, but I was hoping you two didn't," I replied.

"We did and I can't believe it still freaked me out, after all
these years," Danny continued.

"Me too," Brandon added.  "At first, I wasn't even sure I
could go in there again."

"You've been in that room before?" Elliot asked
absentmindedly, as he glanced out the window at the
passing scenery.

"Yes," Danny admitted.  "Back when we were in high
school.  Or were we in college already?"

"We were in college," Brandon answered.  "It was the
summer between our sophomore and junior years."

"That's right, because we didn't think they were going to
let us return to our campuses, once classes started,"
Danny suddenly remembered.

"Yeah, that's right," Brandon confirmed.

"So how did you end up at the police station back then?"
Elliot pressed, as he turned toward his foster dads.

"We hadn't done anything," Danny answered.  "It was just
that this guy who held a grudge against us said we did
something, when we hadn't.  The police took his word for
it and arrested us for beating him up, but it was later
proven in court that we didn't do it."

"He said you beat him up and they just took his word for
it?" Elliot tried to clarify.

"Yeah, pretty much.  They took us in, along with your
Uncle Pat and Uncle Shannon," Brandon answered.  "I
know you haven't met them yet, but you will."

"So what really happened then?" Elliot asked, continuing
the story.

"Some low-life drug dealer gave him the beating," Danny
answered.  "That's why he couldn't say what happened.  If
he did, he'd also have to admit he was buying drugs at the
time.  Instead, he used what happened to him to try to get
even with us for something that had happened in high
school."

"But he didn't get away with it.  Right?" Elliot continued.

"Right," Brandon replied.  "Your Uncle Mark remembered
something that proved it couldn't have happened the way
the guy said, and Uncle Mark had the evidence to back up
what he was saying.  That was enough to convince the jury
we didn't do it."

"That's great," Elliot stated, "but having so many uncles is
sure getting confusing.  I think I need flash cards."

"It will take some time to get used to this," Brandon
agreed, "but in the end I think you're going to like having
so many around.  They're a great group of guys and you
can always depend on them being there when you need
something."

"Sounds cool," Elliot agreed.  "As an only child, I always
wanted a bigger family.  I can't wait to meet the rest of
them,"

When we got home, I explained everything that had
happened to Jake and told him about the room we were in,
since his son had been part of that group too.  He wasn't
so sure it was just a coincidence though.  He thought it
was more likely that the police had chosen that room to
put extra pressure on Danny and Brandon and make them
suffer for being unwilling to go along with their request.
Actually, he meant both requests.  First, for making them
wait so long before they got to question Elliot and then for
pushing to have more than one person go in with him.  I
agreed the police might have done this, even though I
thought it highly unlikely.  First of all, no one from the
police department knew who would be coming down with
Elliot and I'm not sure any of them would have
remembered so much detail about something that
happened nearly seven years before.

I also told Jake that Elliot's interview should end the
process and it was now up to the police to use that
information to make the arrests.  I also told him, just in
case anyone else called to set something up with Elliot,
that no one from the police department would be allowed
to speak directly with Elliot again.  I told him from now on
one of us would relay his answers and Elliot wasn't going
to speak to them directly, unless we approved it and were
with him at the time.  Jake assured me he would honor
our wishes, so we put this matter to bed – for now.  All
that was left was for the criminal justice system to arrest,
try and, hopefully, convict the guilty parties.

Putting that behind us, we now began to focus on happier
business.  Since tomorrow is Halloween, it was time for us
to transform our place into a Haunted House.  Jesse's
friends showed up before it got dark, with their younger
siblings in tow.  There were even more of them now, than
just the two Jesse had started with.  Those three boys had
gotten more people involved in helping them, so they
could both finish in time and also to fill the various roles
in our little maze of terror.  Therefore, there were quite a
few people here, itching to get started.

Jesse's friends also brought their younger brothers and
sisters with them, because they were planning to take
them, Elliot and Joshie through the Haunted House for a
practice run.  Since they weren't quite ready to get
started, I waited in the family room with the group that
would be taking the tour.  Once I received word that
everything was set, I took that group outside and led them
around to the back of our house, where their adventure
would begin.

We started out by passing through our little graveyard,
with its tombstones containing the names of some of the
worst murders in history.  There was one for Jack the
Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacey, Son of Sam,
Adolf Hitler, Charles Manson, Joseph Stalin, Vlad the
Impaler, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden.  As we
had done in the past, this area contained a surprise and
everyone jumped and screamed when one of Jesse's
friends emerged from under an artificial grass rug in front
of one of the tombstones.

After that little scare, the children had to make their way
across our newest obstacle.  This year, the boys had asked
me to construct a small, suspension type walkway that
everyone would have to cross in order to get to our
backdoor.  I did this using chains and slender wooden
strips and then fastened this temporary structure to
several stakes, which I had driven into the ground on
either side of the walkway.  It was only a few inches above
the ground, but it swayed gently from side to side as the
person crossed.  This forced the individual to concentrate
on what he was doing, or else he might fall.  It wasn't
dangerous, but merely another different and somewhat
nerve-wracking thing for them to experience.

As soon as the children stepped on this footbridge, it
began to move.  Immediately, they all froze for a split
second, before they continued on.  They were still
tentative about crossing it, but soon realized it wasn't as
treacherous as they feared.  I have a feeling our
suspension walkway is going to be a big hit tomorrow
night.

Once the group reached the back door, the next series of
ghoulish surprises lurked within.  As soon as the door
opened, the sounds of maniacal laughter and screams
filled the air, along with the flashing of strobe lights.  The
strobe lights were used to give everything an otherworldly
and supernatural appearance.  As they entered, Dracula
opened his coffin and sat up.  While Dracula was busy
distracting our visitors, others who were dressed in
hideous costumes rushed up and grabbed a hold of our
guests, which elicited a round of screams.

Once they had gotten over this shocking experience, the
children walked, single file, between two skeletons.  They
couldn't get around them any other way, otherwise they'd
step on the headless corpses we had placed on either side
of our slender walkway.  The skeletons had been arranged
so our visitors would be certain to bump into one or the
other as they passed by.

Jesse and his friends had added another new feature this
year, which they now set into motion, as the unsuspecting
visitors moved down the short hallway leading toward the
basement door – their next destination.  One of Jesse's
friends' fathers had somehow gotten a hold of a large
plastic replica of the front of a snub-nose cab for an 18-
wheeler.  The boys had hooked up battery-generated
headlights to it, which they suddenly turned on.  As they
did this, another one blasted an air-horn, while the other
boy pushed the 'truck cab' at the visitors.  Those in the
front of the line all stopped dead in their tracks.  Some
even tried to jump backwards or run away from it, which
told us the effect was realistic and scary.  This was going
to be another big hit.

Once the children got over this fright, our guests were
then led down the steps to the basement.  To do this, they
had to navigate through an array of fake cobwebs, plastic
spiders and phony cockroaches along the way.  Once they
got to the bottom, they approached four large aquariums,
which the boys had filled with various creepy delights.
One of the tanks held spiders, the next a variety of bugs,
another was filled with worms, snails and slugs, and the
final tank held a collection of snakes.

The boys had covered the tanks with clear, plastic lids, so
our 'props' wouldn't escape, but they also hooked up
spotlights above and slightly behind each tank.  As the
children moved next to this area, the lights were turned
on, one at a time, to highlight what was contained within.
Suddenly becoming aware of this series of revolting
animals elicited a few gasps, shudders and screams, which
were quickly followed by some gleeful cackling from
Jesse's cohorts.

After getting away from this area, the children were led
past a table containing an array of body parts, most of
which seemed to be able to move on their own.  First there
was a bloody arm, which would reach out and attempt to
grab passers by.  Then there was a pair of eyes, which
appeared to be suspended in midair, and these eyes would
appear and disappear with varying frequency.

The boys had talked Dion into doing this for them, since
they needed more help.  He had on a dark-colored
bodysuit and a cloth mask over his face, so only his eyes
showed through.  There was also a black light illuminating
the area, which helped to mask his presence and added an
eerie effect when he opened his eyes.  Since he would also
move around slowly when his eyes were closed, it also
made his eyes appear as if they were floating and attached
to nothing.

Finally, there was a severed head, which appeared to be
setting on a platter.  The head would open its eyes and
speak as the children walked by.  In reality, the head
belonged to Vinnie, who had also volunteered to help and
was made up to look like a very haggard Osama Bin Laden,
complete with the infamous turban.

>From there, the children were led toward the far corner of
the basement and the entire area was then lit up, so they
could see and collect their treats.  At this point, they were
allowed to choose from an assortment of seasonally
appropriate items the boys had either made themselves or
purchased specifically for this occasion.  The children
were now permitted to select any five items from what we
were offering.  All they had to do was indicate what they
wanted and someone would place those items in their bag.
The selection included white chocolate eyeballs, gummy
worms, thumb lollipops, bones made from pretzels and
covered in white chocolate, and chewy candy tongues.

Elliot seemed impressed at how much work the boys had
done and how detailed the Haunted House was.  I thought
I had even seen him tense up and get a little pale when he
walked past the snake tank.  Joshie, on the other hand,
was finding it hard to contain his joy at having been able
to go through it.  Once the others left, Jesse offered Elliot
the chance to participate in the Haunted House the
following night, when they did it for the public.  When
Elliot said he'd love to do it, Jesse gave him a choice of
the tasks he could participate in.

Joshie would be going out with his fathers, to trick-or-
treat at the houses of some of their friends and a few of
our extended family, so he wouldn't be available to do
this.  I think he was just happy he got to experience it this
year and had been delightfully scared in the process.
Tomorrow should be a blast for all of us.