“My parents went to the store to get more face paint,” 13-year-old Justin Howard said, according to Bradley. “They told us not to open the door for anybody, but they should be back soon.”
Bradley called their grandmother and told her that her son and daughter-in-law had been killed, he said, but she was nearly 500 miles away in Sarasota, Fla. It would be morning before she could get there, and he wanted to keep the children occupied until she arrived. He also wanted to preserve their future Halloweens, so he decided to wait until the next day to tell them what had happened.
Bradley took them to grab dinner — nuggets from McDonald’s, burgers from Burger King. He bought them milkshakes. He chatted with them about TV shows and their father’s time in the U.S. military. Then he took them back to his post.
Bradley’s corporal arrived with candy, popcorn and Disney films, he said. Then the sheriff showed up with more goodies and a miniature deputy’s badge for Justin.
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