PART 2

Trent was troubled all night after his confrontation with Tandi. After rolling over to look at his clock, he realized it had only been five minutes since he had last checked it.  **4:45. Great. Well, I may as well go ahead and take a shower. Not doing any good trying to sleep anyway.**  After taking a shower, he sat down on  the couch and turned the television on and began channel surfing. He stopped on a country music station that was showing a video by Colin Raye.

(Side note: If you have not seen this video, Colin Raye plays a police officer who sees the things happen in the song to people and then goes home to his daughter)

"I Think About You"

Every time I see a woman on a billboard sign I think about you
Saying "drink this beer and you'll be mine" I think about you
When an actress on a movie screen
Plays Lolita in some old man's dreams
It doesn't matter who she is
I think about you

When I see a pretty woman walking down the street I think about you
Men look her up and down like she's some kind of treat I think about you
She wouldn't dare talk to a stranger
Always has to be aware of the danger
It doesn't matter who she is
It think about you

You...eight years old
Big brown eyes and a heart of gold
When I look at this world, I think about You...and I can't help but see
That every woman used to be
Somebody's little girl...I think about you

Every time I hear people say it's never gonna change I think about you
Like it's some kind of joke, some kind of game I think about you
When I see a woman on the news
Who didn't ask to be abandoned or abused It doesn't matter who she is
I think about you

You...eight years old
Big brown eyes and a heart of gold
When I look at this world, I think about You...and I can't help but see
That every woman used to be
Somebody's little girl...I think about you When I look at this world
I think about you

"Where is he?" Kim kept asking Carlos while she paced the floor. "It's not like Trent to be late! Where could he be?"

"Did you try calling his house?" Carlos asked. He too was concerned about his friend. It was not like Trent to be late. If he was late, he would have called.

"Yes. If he was home he was no answering."

"Maybe his phone was out of order."

"Carlos, I got his answering machine!"

"Okay, let's give him ten more minutes to get here and then we'll go over to his place and see if he's there."

Kim and Carlos turned to the door as it slowly began to open. It was Trent.  **Only 3 hours late!** Carlos thought.

"Hey buddy. Where have you been this morning?" Carlos asked.

"Yeah. We were getting worried about you. Are you okay?"

Trent faked a smile to Kim. "I fell asleep on the couch after taking a shower this morning," he muttered.

"Rough night?" asked Carlos.

"Carlos, could I talk to you for a minute? Alone?" Trent asked.

"Sure." Carlos noticed Trent's blood-shot eyes.
**Doesn't look like he slept at all last night.**

Carlos followed Trent to the back of Thunder Investigations into one of their makeshift conference rooms. Trent sat down on one side of the table as Carlos shut the door and then went to the opposite side and sat down. "What's up?"

"I need some *police* advice."

"Okay?"  **I don't think I like where this is going.**  "Something happen last night?"

"Just listen okay? Suppose you knew this person and you suspected they were being abused. You knew it wasn't family, but they won't talk to you and you are afraid of what it may be."

"Whoa. Slow down buddy." Carlos sat straight up in his chair. "You're not making much sense here.  You are you talking about?"

Trent took a deep breath. He knew what Carlos's reaction was going to be. "Tandi."

"What?" Carlos was fighting back all the emotions of anger that were beginning to surface. Sure, he was of no relation to Tandi, but as close as he was to the Malloy family, he felt like Tandi was the younger sister he never had. "Are you sure? I mean, how do you know?"

"You should have seen the bruise on her face and the bruises on her arms." Trent sighed before speaking again. "Carlos, she's only thirteen! She won't talk. I just don't know what to do!" Trent folded his arms on the table and rested his head on the top of them.