Chapter Twenty One

That night, the phone aroused me from my slumber. I glanced at the clock on the bedside table and saw it was half past 11. I had just fallen asleep. Who could be calling so late? I fumbled for the lamp switch and almost knocked it off the table. My eyes squinted in the bright light. I scrambled to the sound of the ringing phone, which was on the kitchen counter.

I recognized Fran's phone number. I half expected Ari to call.

"Hello?" I answered in a gruff, sleepy voice.

"Lily? Blake sneaked out after curfew and has not come back. Frankie said he usually comes back by now. What if he was found by the night beat? I'm so worried," Fran spouted.

Immediately I felt nauseous. "Slow down. Where did he go?"

"Frankie won't say. Please find him. What if something happened to him?"

I was fully awake. "Put Frankie on the phone."

There was silence for a minute. My heart pounded in my ears. I slipped my shoes on and pulled my jacket out of the closet.

Frankie's voice came over the phone. "Hey."

"Frankie, where did Blake go?"

"He doesn't tell me."

"Don't lie to me. Did you know ten years ago, Katelyn's parents were found dead? No one ever figured out who did it. There is a good chance the perpetrators are out there. Do you want Blake to end up like that?"

"No," he squeaked. "He...he said they g...go fishing down by the T...Tinker Creek junction."

"Thanks, buddy. You might have just saved his life."

I was already out the door and into the night. The phone stuffed in my pocket, I raced to the location. The moon bathed the world in yellow light. A cold breeze cut through my coat. There was not another soul in sight. I could have killed for a vehicle. I prayed that I was not too late.

I reached the Greenway in under 30 minutes. My breathing deepened, but I could not slow down. Once I crossed the river, voices echoed in the distance. With every ounce of my strength, I sped up. I caught the sight of two men next to a small campfire. The closer I got, I made out three boys huddled together. No one noticed my approach. 

A deep southern drawl rang out. "Boy! I am only going to ask you one more time! Who are your parents?"

"Man, look at them pissing in their pants. Let's just bring them in. I'm cold and tired," the other one said.

"Not yet. They need to be taught to respect the rules and their elders."

I arrived as a baton rose in the air. The boys closed their eyes and cringed from the men. I jumped up and grasped his arm before it came down.

"Takes a real big man to beat children." I hissed through clenched teeth.

Startled, they spun around. I recognized the man who had the baton. His name was Harold Beechwood and he had a nasty reputation for his brutal tactics. He spoke first.

"Who you think you are? You are interfering with Police Force business."

"Harold, you do not recognize me?" I replied, still a little out of breath.

A smirk formed on his face. "Lieutenant Andrews, you are out of your jurisdiction. This isn't a cargo security matter."

"Andrews?" the other man queried. "Why do I know that name?"

"Because she's the b***h who got the rules changed. But there's nothing she can do now. She ain't working for the Chief anymore," Harold sneered.

"Boys, go home," I called out. "Don't ever come out after curfew again."

One of them climbed to his feet and sprinted west without looking back. Blake and another dark haired boy still curled up on the ground with hands covering their ears.

"Hey! I didn't say you could go!" Harold yelled. He turned back to me. "You stupid... You're always interfering."

"Yeah? What are you going to do?" I retorted.

Harold screamed and rushed toward me. He put his head down to tackle me, but he left his neck wide open. As soon as he hit me, I slid my arm under his chin. Then I grasped my hand to cinch in the choke and wrapped my legs around his waist. My back slammed onto the ground hard, but I held on. I flexed my arm. He struggled but in moments, he lost his strength and went limp. I released my grip and thrust him off me.

The other man's eyes widened. With hands up, he stepped away. "I tried to stop him. I swear I wasn't going to hurt them."

"From where I stood, it didn't look like you did much to stop him. Did he hurt any of them?"

"No. I think he was about to."

I made to where Blake still laid and touched his arm. Without opening his eyes, he flinched and squirmed away. I wanted to cry, but I pulled his hand off his ear. "Blake."

He stopped and opened his eyes. In moments, he was on his knees and buried his face in my shoulder. His hands clutched my jacket as sobs escaped him. I pulled him close.

"It's OK. You're OK now," I reassured. "Who is your friend?"

He calmed down. "Duke. He lives close by."

"Well, help me get him home and then we'll head back. Fran is pretty worried."

They were quiet on the walk. Every little noise made them jump. 

We arrived at a two-story brick house. Under the porch light, I spotted an embroidered welcome mat which said 'Welcome to the Donavan's.' I rang the doorbell and promptly a deep bark resounded from behind the door.

In moments, Deputy Chief Donavan appeared in plaid pajamas. "Duke? What are you doing out there?"

"They were caught by the night beat," I explained.

The screen door opened and Duke bolted to his father. "I'm sorry, Dad. We'll never do it again."

"Come inside," Donavan said, looking around the neighborhood.

We entered into a small foyer. A light came on to the right, illuminating a small living room. I watched Donavan search through some drawers before finally pick up something small.

"Duke, go to bed," he said. "We'll discuss the repercussions of your actions in the morning."

"Yessir," Duke said sheepishly before tiptoeing up the stairs.

Donavan walked over to us. "Thank you, for bringing my son home safely."

Blake reached out and held my hand like a small child. I glanced at him before responding.

"You're welcome. I'm sure you will catch Harold's rendition of the story tomorrow."

Donavan gasped. "How far does he live from here?"

"Upper north side. We'd better get going."

He held out a key. "Take our car and bring it back in the morning."

I waved him off. "That's not necessary."

"Please. It is the least I can do."

I nodded and took it from him. "Thanks."

"I'll show you out the back."

He preceded us down the hall and through the dark kitchen to the little two-door Police Force electric car.

Blake climbed into the passenger side. "Can you drive?"

"Yes," I scoffed. "I drive for work all the time."

The engine whirred and we headed to the orphanage. Blake was silent the entire trip. I did not know what to say either.

"You're not going to tell anyone that I was crying are you?" he asked as we arrived.

"No, don't worry. I'll never tell anyone."

"Thank you for coming. I probably deserved it because I shouldn't have gone out after curfew."

I stopped before ascending the front porch. "Don't you ever think that. They should not treat anyone like that, even if they break the rules. Should there be punishment for breaking curfew? Maybe, but in a manner proportional to the crime. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

He nodded. The front door swung open and a frantic Fran flew out. I was surprised none of the other kids woke up in the commotion. He assured her he was fine and wanted to go to bed.

"Can I crash on the couch?" I asked after he headed upstairs. "So I don't run into any more of them."

"So that is what happened," Fran whispered. She cleared her throat. "Of course, dear. You don't need to sleep on the couch."

"I don't want to wake anyone up. The couch is fine."

She brought me a pillow and blanket. In return, I told her about what happened. She thanked me and headed to bed.

I laid down and stared at the ceiling. It had been so long since I heard of something like happening. It made me more scared than ever to leave. Was the Chief really losing control? I did not like that I had to go to Philadelphia the next evening. Eventually, sleep found me again.

***

The next morning, I tiptoed through the house to the kitchen. A tall glass of water was the first thing I needed. I thought about making breakfast, but I did not want to wake everyone up so early. My stomach grumbled. I found some ham in the refrigerator and grabbed a piece to munch on. As I finished off the water, soft footsteps padded toward me. Blake popped through the doorway.

"You can't sleep? Isn't today a school day?" 

"No, can't sleep anymore," he said groggily.

I walked over to him and ruffled his hair. That time, he did not say anything.

"You look so tired. You should go back to bed until Fran gets you up."

His gaze moved away from me. "Are you leaving?"

"I need a shower and change my clothes. I can't go into work like this."

"I mean, you're leaving the city right? I overheard you talking to Fran the other day."

A little pang of guilt sunk into the pit of my stomach. "I didn't want to worry you. I have to go to Philadelphia for a couple of days."

"Why? You've never left the city before."

"Because my boss told me to go."

"Why do grownups always lie to me? Just go and don't come back," he lashed out and hopped up the stairs. Half of me wanted to chase after him. I sighed. At his age, I knew he was going through a lot. I decided to give him some space. I washed the glass I used and snatched my jacket. After the front door was unlocked, a voice startled me.

"Lily?"

I spun around and saw Frankie at the top of the stairs.

"What's up kiddo?" I responded.

"Are you mad at Blake?"

"No, what makes you think that?"

"He's crying in his bed and he won't talk to me."

I ripped my coat off and threw it on the floor. The last thing I wanted was to drag these kids down with my problems, but they were old enough to realize something was wrong. I followed Frankie to their room and shut the door behind us.

Frankie crawled into his bed and pulled the covers up to his chin. Sure enough, Blake curled up holding the pillow to his face. I sat down next to him and placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Go away," Blake said into the pillow.

"Not until you talk to me," I said.

His head snapped toward me. "Well then, I guess you can't go to Philadelphia because I don't feel like talking."

My heart sunk. "I don't have a choice. I would love to just stay here with you guys, but I can't. Without my job, I would be broke and I could not buy those nice things for you."

He did not answer; he simply stared at me.

"I didn't lie to you about not knowing why I have to go to Philadelphia," I continued. "I made some important people mad. So I will do whatever I need to in order to keep coming here."

"You got in trouble?" Frankie piped up from across the room.

"Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it."

"Who was it?" Blake probed.

"Charles Payne."

"The city leader?"

"The one and only. I trust you not to say anything to anyone else about this. In return, I need you to trust me. I will do everything in my power to make it right. What is said in this room stays in this room."

Blake pushed up on the bed and sat up. "I won't say anything. I promise."

"Me too," Frankie agreed.

I put my arm around Blake, expecting him to push away. However, he hugged me back.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"What are you apologizing for?" 

"For what I said. I do want you to come back."

"Apology accepted. I'm glad because I was going to come back anyway."

Sniffles originated from Frankie's bed.

"Come on over," I said.

He crawled from under the covers and sat on the other side of me. I wrapped my other arm around him.

"I...I'm ss...sorry I snitched on you, Blake," Frankie stuttered.

"It is OK, I'm glad you did. And don't worry, I won't do that again," Blake assured him.

"Like I said, I'd love to stay with you guys forever, but I can't show up for work in pajamas," I remarked.

Blake giggled.

"What's so funny?" I demanded.

"Go to work with your kitty cat pajamas on."

Frankie started laughing with him. I looked down. I had forgotten what I wore.

"Ha ha, very funny." I moved my hands up and messed up both of their hair.

As if on cue, they both leaped to their feet and rubbed their hands forward to smooth their heads. I sprung to my feet and strolled to the door.

"One last thing," I noted. "Be good for Fran and have fun at the soccer game today."

Both of their jaws dropped.

"How do you know about that?" Blake inquired.

I opened the door and stepped into the hall. Before shutting the door, I said, "You haven't figured it out yet? I know everything."

I left them to ponder that thought. Before jogging away, I turned and looked at the house. Blake stood in the window and waved. The corners of my mouth turned up. I felt content leaving them like that. With a quick wave, I left.