“So, are you going to tell me what you found, or not?”
“You were right, Chandler. We pried the door open, and there are stairs leading down to an old root cellar. It is twice as large as the greenhouse on top of it, but a tunnel has been carved out on the north side, and it leads away about fifty feet and connects with the city’s storm drain system. We searched about two miles in every direction, but there was no sign of any one. They’ve been down there, all right, but they aren’t there now.”
I shuddered, thinking about what had been going on in my own backyard.
“Chandler, I’m going to have that tunnel caved in, and the wall to the cellar sealed. I might even have it filled in. But we’ve got to wait a while, first. We need to watch, to see if we can catch some more activity…” he trailed off.
“I understand. I don’t want you to do anything that might jeopardize your finding them, or finding something out about Sam.” I caressed his face.
Even in the dark, I could see the muscle tense and begin to tick at his jaw. “When I think you could have…when you were out there with Beau, if you had opened that door and gone down there alone…” He didn’t finish his thought, but his voice was enraged. I’d never heard him like that before.
“But I didn’t. And now I know not to go out there.”
“I can’t believe I missed the door in the first place. How many times John and I looked around…”
“But it was covered up by the tables. You didn’t know.”
“We still wouldn’t know if it hadn’t been for you.” He kissed me again. “I sure am glad you’re nosey.” He kissed the tip of my nose. “We’re going back down there tomorrow night, and try to pick up a trail. Ben, Ty and Colin are going back to base tomorrow to get some more equipment, and bring a couple more guys back after we visit with command. We’re going to get the okay to run a special op, but we’ve got to go through channels. I don’t want you here at all tomorrow night! I mean it. All right, Chandler?”
“Okay.” I wasn’t going to argue. “I’ll go home with Everett like a good girl.”
“Good.” His kisses became more urgent then, and I lost myself in the moment.
* * *
The alarm clock went off at seven. I hit the snooze, and then rolled over and put my hand in the warm spot where Banton had been. I still couldn’t get over this feeling of belonging – that I was so in love with someone, and he was in love with me. I just wished I could shake the horrible feeling of apprehension – like something was bound to happen to make it all go away.
I rolled over the other way, and Beau was staring at me, his nose lying across my pillow. “Do you need to go out, Beau?” I asked. He wagged his tail in an apparent yes. I climbed out of bed slowly, feeling every joint and ache in my body. I felt like I’d been in a car wreck, or someone had worked me over with a baseball bat. I stopped and looked in the mirror, pulling my gown down to look at my bruises. Now they were purple and green with a tinge of yellow. “Oh, great,” I said, as Beau wagged his tail at me. “Come on.”
He followed me down the stairs, and I opened the front door to let him out. Banton and John were both already gone for the day, so I went on to the kitchen to fix my coffee. There was a full travel mug full of coffee and a note.
Here’s your first cup.
Take the slip from the ER with you
to the doctor. Call you later!
(Turn your cell on, OK?)
I Love you.
Banton.
I smiled as I read his note. I stood at the kitchen window for a few minutes, looking out at the greenhouse. I still couldn’t wrap my head around all the things going on out there. It all looked so un-scary in the light of day. I hurried back upstairs to get dressed, since I had no idea what time Everett would show up. I pulled out the first thing I found in my closet Everett had picked out for me last night – a lightweight stylish sweatshirt which zipped up the front. I slipped it on without putting on a bra, hoping I could avoid drafts today. A pair of loose-fit jeans came next, and then I slipped a pair of Birkenstocks on. Twisting my hair around in the back to clip it up, I winced as it pulled at the stitches. I would have to get Everett to help me wash it and fix it today; I still wasn’t up to holding my right arm up long enough to work a hairdryer and brush. A quick swipe of mineral makeup on my face, a little blush, and I was ready to go. As I glanced around the bedroom to locate my purse I heard a bark outside, and then growling.
I hurried down the stairs, and opened the door. Beau was playing with something in the tall grass in the vacant lot next to my house. I dropped my purse in a chair by the door as I grabbed my jacket, and then closed it and went outside to see what Beau was playing with.
As I got closer, I could hear a child giggling. Remembering my dream from the day before, chills ran up my arms. Beau came bounding over to me as he heard me walking up, and a child’s voice laughed, “Here doggie! Come back, doggie!” A small girl, no more than two and a half or three, stood up from the weeds. She had brown curly hair, and enormous brown eyes. The only clothes she wore were panties and a snap-front shirt, but no pants, and no shoes. It had to be around fifty degrees or less out here. I looked around, but there was no sign of anyone around.
Kneeling down beside her, I asked, “What is your name?”
She backed up a bit, and put her bottom lip out. “Doggie?” she asked again, wanting Beau to come back. He ran around me and back to her, licking her in the face. She giggled again, happy to have him near her.
I spoke to her calmly, but happily. “I’m Chandler. Can you say Chandler?”
“Andler.” She smiled, and hugged Beau. “Doggie!”
“Good. Yes, that is the doggie. Where is your mommy?” I asked, looking around.
“Doggie!” she called again, as Beau returned to me. We were getting nowhere.
“Miss Chandler?” I heard Mr. Jackson’s voice as I straightened. He was walking up the sidewalk with his cane. “I think dis here chile come from over there,” he said as he pointed with his cane toward Banton’s old apartment. “I think it be her daddy what dey found de other night,” he added quietly.
I nodded. “Would you watch her and Beau on the front porch while I go and see if I can find her mother? Here, put this around her.” I handed him the jacket I held.
“Sure will, Miss Chandler. Come on, Chile. Me and you’s gonna play wid dis here dog. Come on, dog!” Mr. Jackson took the little girl’s hand, and she followed him up the stairs on the porch and he sat her down in one of the lawn chairs. Beau followed them obediently, and lay down on the porch in front of her. I hesitated, thinking I shouldn’t leave the child alone with Mr. Jackson, either. I barely knew him.
Then Everett drove up in the driveway. I motioned to him, and as he got out of the car, I yelled, “Stay with them on the porch, I’ll only be a minute.” I felt better with Everett there, he would help watch her.
Hurrying down the sidewalk, I fumed, angry at the thought any mother would let her child out of her sight for one second, much less in that condition. I reminded myself if Mr. Jackson was right, her mother might be in a bad state if her husband had just been murdered, so I would have to cut her some slack. I walked up the duplex stairs and knocked on the door. There was no answer. I knocked again, and the door swung open. A girl about my age opened the door and stared at me blankly.
“What?” she asked me. Her eyes were wild, and the apartment reeked with the smell of alcohol and cigarettes, and heaven only knew what else.
I asked her, “Do you have a little girl about two years old?”
“Yeah, why?” she asked, looking back over her shoulder.
“I found her over there in the field by my house, playing with my dog,” I said, rather irritated.
“Uh, okay,” she said. I could tell, she had no clue where she was, or who I was, or if she even had a little girl. She was rocking back and forth, and hanging on to the door.
“Are you all right?” I asked, in a softer voice.
I had to make a choice. Number one, I had to get some clothes on the child before she froze, and get her cleaned up and inside my house. “Do you have some clothes I could put her in?”
“Yeah. In there…” She pointed to the adjoining room. I walked in, finding it was neater than the rest of the house. It at least had a crib, and a chest with drawers hanging open. I pulled out what appeared to be a couple of pairs of clean training pants, two clean shirts, and two pairs of pants. I couldn’t find any socks, but I found a pair of sandals, so I grabbed them too. I turned to her and said, “Why don’t I take her for the day, and bring her back to you a later? What is her name?”
“Ava. Ava Grace.”
“What is your name?”
“Jess.”
“Ok, Jess. I’m Chandler, and I live in the big white house right down there. We’ll be back later, and we’ll bring her back to you, okay?” I backed out the door, and she shut it in my face.
Now I was really worked up. I was thinking no matter how distraught I was after I lost my parents, I could have pulled it together well enough to see that a child wasn’t neglected like this. Jess was obviously high on something. I wasn’t sure who I needed to report this to, but I had to get Ava cleaned up and warm first. I marched up on the front porch to Everett’s concerned face. I held up the clothes to Everett as I exclaimed, “Well, Miss Ava Grace. I think you and I are going to spend the day with Everett, Sweetie. Let’s get you inside and cleaned up before we go.” She smiled at me as she played with Beau on the porch.
“Andie, you want to explain to me what is going on?” Everett asked.
“Looks like Miss Chandler, she gots her hands full ‘o troubled chile, dat’s what I thinks,” Mr. Jackson chuckled, as he got up to leave.
“Thank you, Mr. Jackson, for watching her for me.”
“Anytime, Sweet Chile. Anytime an old man can help.” He shuffled up the sidewalk.
I turned to Everett, quietly informing him, “I found her like this, playing out there in the wet weeds with Beau. I left her here with you and Mr. Jackson, so I could see if I could find her mother.”
“And?”
“I found her, all right. She’s a mess, almost comatose, high on something. She asked me to take care of the baby.”
“Oh, boy,” he exclaimed. “Okay, ladies, let’s go in and play makeover, shall we?”
“Doggie!” Ava exclaimed, as Beau got up and wagged his tail at me.
“She has that name down, but not much else,” Everett commented. “Come on, Beau. Maybe we can lure her in with you.”
I opened the door, and Beau trotted into the house obediently, with Ava following easily. Everett shut the door behind us, while I led Beau into the bathroom. I started the bathwater, and put plenty of bubbles in.
“Your doctor’s appointment isn’t until 11:00. I think we have time to clean her up, feed her, and maybe find her some new clothes?” Everett suggested.
“My thoughts exactly,” I said, turning her around. “Ava Grace, do you like the water?”
“Wader!” She clapped. Good, she liked baths. “Everett, could you see if we might have a spoon or some lids or cups she might like to play with in the water, while I bathe her?”
“Good idea. I’ll go and see.”
I pulled her little shirt off with no protest. I proceeded to pull her panties down, and shuddered at the dirt. This child hadn’t had a bath in some time. I picked her up, ignoring the pain in my shoulder, and put her down in the water. She kicked and splashed water at Beau, who licked it off the floor, and came to hang his head over the side of the tub at her. She giggled again. I took a washrag, and soaped it with some of my soap and began scrubbing. The skin behind her tiny ears was crusted with dirt. Her mother obviously didn’t pay enough attention to her to even keep her clean. I began to cry as I washed her hair, then rinsing it with a cup Everett handed me.
“Chandler…Bebe, are you okay?” Everett asked me, as he handed Ava some plastic containers, a Taco Bell cup and two spoons. She immediately began placing the containers on the side of the tub, and then spooning water and soap into each one, her little brain working out how to play with the toys we’d given her.
“Yes, I’m just angry. This poor child hasn’t had a bath in weeks, I’d bet. She is severely neglected, and she’s malnourished as well. Look at her ribcage.” I wiped my eyes with the back of my arm, as I continued to wash her under her arms, and then urged her to stand and let me wash her legs.
“I’ll fix us some biscuits and jelly, Bebe. We’ll get her to eat something. Then we’ll talk about what to do about her,” he whispered, patting me on the shoulder.
“Thanks, Everett.” I reached up to dry my eyes on my sleeve again, and then grabbed a fluffy towel off the table beside the tub. “Come on, Ava Grace. Let’s get out and play with the dog some more, okay?” I wrapped the towel around her, and thought of Banton as he’d done the same with me last night. She snuggled down in my lap in the towel, and immediately drifted off to sleep. She must have been exhausted.
I stood up carefully, and carried her to the sofa in the living room. Tucking her into the pillows, I covered her with a blanket off the back of the couch. “Sit. Stay,” I told Beau, as I went to find Everett. Beau lay down beside the couch.
“What did you do with her?” Everett asked as I came into the kitchen with her clothes.
“She is fast asleep on the couch. She must be exhausted. I’m wondering if she was out there all night!”
Everett turned and looked at me in horror. “Andie, we have to report this.”
“I know. I’m going to call Banton, and see if I can get the name of any of the policemen who were here Thursday night, who might shed some light on the situation. We can let them report this. But right now, I’m going to wash these clothes myself, before I put them on her. I’m not sure they are clean. Since she’s asleep, I might have enough time.” I opened the closet in the corner of the kitchen John had built for our stackable washer and dryer, and opened the washer to put her clothes in.
“I have a better idea. Everett grabbed his keys. I’ll be back in a jiff. Will you be okay here alone?”
“Sure… yes, go.” I had an idea where he was going, Everett was so predictable. I finished putting detergent in the washer, and shut the lid and started the machine. Then I hurried back to the living room with my cell phone, and dialed Banton’s cell. Ava was curled up in a ball, her sweet face peaceful in sleep. She moved her lips, as if she were having a puppy dream. I sat down beside her on the couch and put my arm over her.
He picked up on the second ring. “Chandler, is everything all right? Are you at the doctor?”
“No, not yet. I’m sorry to bother you, Banton, is it a bad time?”
“No, I’m at the meeting, but we are waiting on someone. Is something wrong?” he asked, worriedly. “Where’s Everett? You aren’t alone, are you?”
“Well, not technically. Everett was here helping me, but he went to run an errand. Banton, I need your help.”
“What is it, Chandler?”
“Everything is okay, Banton. I’m fine. But I need to know if you know of any names of any of the officers who were here Thursday night after the murder. Did any of them give you their name, in case we needed to contact them…Maybe someone working the case?”
“Yes. Lieutenant Burke. I have his number in my cell. Why? Has something happened?”
“Well, yes actually. I found a little girl, a baby out in the weeds in the vacant lot. She was playing with Beau this morning when I came out of the house. Banton, she only had underwear and an undershirt on, and it was freezing out. I left her here on the porch with Mr. Jackson and Everett, and went down to your ol
d apartment. Mr. Jackson said he thought she belonged there, that it was her father who was murdered Thursday night. When I finally got her mother to the door, she was drunk, high, whatever. She was out of it. She asked me to keep the baby, her name is Ava, and shut the door in my face. I don’t know what to do with her. But I can’t take her back over there, Banton. I just can’t.”
“Okay, Chandler. You did the right thing, sweetheart. Where is she now?”
“Asleep on the couch beside me. I gave her a bath, and she fell fast asleep. Banton, I think she might have been outside alone all night!” I was crying now.
“Where is Everett?”
“He said he was going to run an errand after he saw the ratty clothes I brought from her house to dress her in. I’m betting he’s hitting the Baby GAP right now.”
“Good guess. As soon as he gets back, I want you to get out of there! I don’t want y’all there today alone. Aren’t you going to the doctor?”
“Yes, my appointment is at 11:00. Everett is taking me.”
“Good. I’ll call the police for you, and report what is going on. I’ll give them your cell number. Just go back to Everett’s shop when you get through at the doctor. I’ll call you back when I know something.”
“Thank you, Banton. I love you – I’m sorry I got you involved in this, but I had to bring her here.”
“Sweetheart you did exactly the right thing. I’ll call as soon as I can. I love you too.” He hung up.
I shut my phone and looked down at Ava. She had her tiny mouth puckered in a pout, like she was having a bad dream. I sighed, knowing what that felt like. After about forty-five minutes, I heard Everett’s car in the drive.
“Oh, you are just going to love the stuff I got for her!” Everett exclaimed as he came through the doors carrying multiple super-mart sacks. “I couldn’t wait for any good shops to open, so for today, I just went bargain-shopping. They have some pretty decent stuff, I’d say! Just look!”
Southern Comfort: Chandler's Story (The Southern Series Book 1) Page 22