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Deborah patted Estrella’s arm and disengaged Frankie’s hand from hers. “I’ll be right back, guys.” She stalked over to where he leaned against the porch railing. “You’re giving me the willies, Luna. Go do something constructive, like find Dodge.”
“The name’s Alex, as you well know. We’ll find Dodge as soon as we deal with the issues here.” He kept his voice down, not wanting the kids to hear. “I would never do what Ezra Dodge did to those girls. Most men wouldn’t, so stop punishing me.”
She looked startled, then stricken. “I know. I know, Lu—Alex, I just . . . I can’t . . . Never mind. What are they doing with these kids? They can’t stay here. Maybe we can—”
“No, not never mind. Why are you doing this? I thought we had made some progress.” He let his voice drop to a whisper, cognizant of the dozen or more people milling around the yard. He grabbed her arm, ignoring her attempts to break away, and propelled her around the corner of the house. “I thought you were going to trust me a little. I kissed you. You kissed me back. You did. I felt it. Now you’re treating me like a leper.”
She jerked away from him, but she didn’t run. “All right, all right.” She rubbed her arm and stood her ground. “You want to know what the problem is? You want to know why I’m so . . . damaged? Because my mother’s boyfriend did to me what Ezra Dodge did to these girls. He raped me. On a regular basis for almost a year. When I was in the seventh grade.” She stopped, breathing hard. “Satisfied.”
She tried to brush past him, but Alex caught her arm again. This time he folded her against his chest in a hug. “Thank you.”
“Thank you?” She struggled to break free but there was no fear in her voice, only sadness.
“Yeah, for trusting me enough to tell me.” He let go. She might never let him hug her again, but at least he knew now what he was dealing with.
She disappeared around the corner of the house without answering.
He leaned against the wall for a few seconds, trying to get his equilibrium back. So now he knew. Knew what Ray had been trying to tell him. What Deborah had been trying to say. She didn’t have relationships with men, because men couldn’t be trusted.Please, God, help me.It was all the prayer he could muster.
He forced himself to follow her back into the yard. A dusty white passenger van rolled to a stop a few yards away, rocking on the rutted road. The engine died and two women got out. The older one, who carried a clipboard, looked around, spotted the kids, and headed their direction.
“Who are they?” Deborah sounded as if she might know the answer to her question. Estrella began to cry. Dom and Frankie both jumped to their feet. Alex was caught between corralling them and trying to get Deborah to back off.
He put a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off and started the woman. Alex tried to intervene. “Detective Baker called Social Services—it’s called SRS here. Deborah, they have to have a safe place to stay until this over—”
“No. No, they can’t take them.” Deborah met the two women halfway. When the woman held out her hand and introduced herself, Deborah refused to take it. “These kids are witnesses in an active police investigation. They have to remain in protective custody for the time being.”
“I’m sorry, Detective . . . ? As I said, I’m Jill Davis, Social Rehabilitation Services, we were called out here by the police. We were told these children needed our kind of protective custody. We’re accustomed to these situations. We just need to take a few clothes, any paperwork they might have, shot records if they’re available—”
“Shot records? Shot records.” Deborah snorted. “These girls have been molested. They’ve seen people murdered. They’ve been beaten with belt buckles. And you want shot records? You people make me crazy. There’s no way you can keep them safe.”
“We deal with abused children everyday, Detective. That’s what we do. Step aside, please.”
Alex stepped between Deborah and Davis, afraid of what Deborah might do if he didn’t. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Davis, could you give us a minute with the kids. We’ll bring them to you, okay? Maybe y’all could go in and gather up their things. The mother is sedated, I doubt there are any records, but you’re welcome to look around. Please.”
The woman nodded, compassion warming her face, making her look like someone’s grandma.
“They aren’t the bad guys either.” Alex eased in close to Deborah, talking in her ear as he forced her back toward the kids. “Think about how much harder you’ll make it for them if you fight this. Do the right thing. Make it easier for them. Tell them we’ll do everything we can to help them. Assure them.”
Deborah inhaled and exhaled hard, her blue eyes smoldering as if they might ignite. She might explode, or she might never talk to him again. He wasn’t sure which it would be, but right now, he had to think about these kids.
“If they get placed in some stinking, horrible foster home, it’s on your head. I won’t forgive you or Cooper or anybody ever.”
“Has it occurred to you to pray about that?”
She stopped in her tracks. She looked as if he’d struck her. “No.” Her voice quivered. “No.”
“Well, hurry up, because we’ve got to work to do.”
A second later, she sat down at the picnic table, stared Esperanza in the eye, and told her not to worry. “SRS will take you to a safe place and take care of you while we go find Ezra Dodge and put him in jail for a long, long time.”
“No, no, please, please, don’t make us go. You said it would be all right now. You said we would stay together.” Esperanza screamed.
Estrella simply sobbed, the sound one Alex would never forget.
Dom didn’t wait for Deborah’s response. He shot off in a dead run. Frankie immediately followed.
“Come on, guys, don’t make me chase you.” Alex took off after him, feeling like an old man at thirty-four. Maybe he should take his own advice.God, how is this a good thing? Show me how. Help them. Help me help them. Something.Eloquent he wasn’t, but it was the best he could do.
