The Summer Home

6. Grand Theft Auto

     When everyone woke up the next morning, it felt a little more back to normal than some had assumed it was going to be. The kids were stirring earlier than the parents but that happened everyday, and Peter made the effort to get up rather than veg in bed and procrastinate. He was eager to see how Nathan slept that night and whether or not he was getting along with his siblings. Peter crept down the stairs and realized the bed was already folded back into the couch and Nathan was no where to be seen. He strolled into the kitchen where the kids were munching on cereal to see if his son was there with the other kids. This however was not the case as Nathan wasn't in the kitchen either. Peter looked around a little more.

     "Has anyone seen Nathan this morning?" Peter asked the kids.

     "Nope." One of the girls called back.

     "Not me," Jacob said as he was actually frying an egg for his breakfast. His mother had been showing him slowly how to cook his own stuff and he had taken a liking to this independence but was all right starting with just the simple stuff.

     "Maybe he went for a walk on the beach," One of the girls suggested.

     "Maybe." Peter said as he wandered around. Something didn't feel right to him but at the moment he was too tired to tell what was out of place. He decided to keep checking after he got a cup of coffee into his system. Peter walked over to the machine and put together a strong batch and set the machine to brew a whole pot for Sonya and himself. They would likely have it entirely done by lunch, mostly him because Peter required a lot of caffeine to concentrate on his work. While Peter was watching the coffee pot do its thing, something dawned on him. He was looking past the coffee machine and at the door. Right beside the door was a small hook. It was not the hook that caught Peter's attention, but the fact that something wasn't hanging on it that looked out of place. That was the hook where Sonya left her keys. He stood up straight and walked over to the hook. Peter paused for a moment and then bolted upstairs to the bedroom. As he came bursting into the room, Sonya was in the bathroom cleaning herself up and getting ready to come down.

     "Sonya." Peter asked as he came into the room. "Where are your keys?"

     "Where they always are," Sonya said, never taking her eyes off the mirror. "On the hook by the door."

     Peter took a deep breathe. Why would Nathan take Sonya's keys? Then the answer came to him, and he ran over to the bedroom window.

     "Aw, shit!" he called out when he realized something when he opened the window. Sonya's red car was missing. Nathan had not only taken the keys, he had stolen the minivan.

     Sonya came out of the bathroom when she realized her husband was really upset. "What's going on?"

     "Nathan isn't here, and neither are your keys or the van!" Peter said as he moved the drape aside to reveal the empty parking lot outside their summer house.

     "Aw, shit!" Sonya said also called out as she looked outside. She was anticipating some form or rebellion from Nathan, but this was too much too soon. "What the hell are we going to do about this?"

     "Nothing," Peter said, taking out his cell. "I'll get Ray to take care of it."

     Peter said as he took out his cell phone and dialed the number. From the sounds of it, Ray was already on the road, likely ending a very long night shift when he picked up. "Ray, it's Peter. We have an issue here at the house with Nathan."

     "Already?" Ray replied. "What has that little shit done?"

     "Oh, not much," Peter answered, trying to stay calm. "He got up early, took Sonya's keys, and stole the van."