Nearly everyone in town knew the route Frank took home at the end of the work day, often after dark during fall and winter. The men wore ski masks. Two of the hats were all black, but one had red threads that formed chevrons across the forehead. He held a flashlight—the guy with the red trim on his knit hat. Frank had no idea who he was, but one of the other two was definitely Renny. Frank knew his voice quite well, even after not hearing it much over so many years.
One of them put a hood of some sort over Frank’s head. Maybe a pillow case.
“Stop! I’ll hurt you.”
The assailants laughed off what must have sounded like a hollow threat. One tackled Frank to the ground, tied the hood tightly at the neck, and then raised Frank to his feet. They kicked him several times, the three of them, it
