Guardian of Justice

by Carol Steward

  After Officer Brooks asked Betsy several more simple questions, he said, “Why don’t you go into the house and see your mother?”

  Betsy took off running.

  Kira sent him a silent plea, which he ignored. He started to follow the child.

  “I need to talk to you,” she said quietly. He stopped, and she continued talking. “I’m not comfortable leaving the little girl here. She was trying to sneak out of her house.”

  He glanced at the running child, then back to Kira. “She’s not too concerned to go back now.”

  As soon as she was out of earshot, Kira cleared her throat and crossed her arms over her chest. “She’s afraid of Mickey, whoever he is.”

  “Her mother’s boyfriend. That’s who attacked the car,” Dallas explained. He wrote a few things on his pad of paper, then put it back into his chest pocket. “We can’t seem to get anyone to admit exactly what happened. The boy was apparently trying to protect his little sister. I doubt the guy will be back tonight. Mom seems upset enough to get a restraining order to keep him out of the house after this.” Dallas stopped and faced Kira. “We can’t do anything right now. We had Mom perform some maneuvers, and it doesn’t appear she’s intoxicated. We put out a BOLO for Mickey. Oh, sorry, that means be on the lookout—’”

  “I know what a BOLO is. But…” Kira grabbed his arm to keep him from walking away.

  He glanced at her hand and pulled his arm from her grip. “I know it isn’t easy, Miss Matthews, but it’s not a crime to break a window or scold your kids. We don’t know that the kid actually hit the man, or whether Mickey hit him first. We simply don’t have enough to take further action yet.”

  She couldn’t believe it. “Look, Officer—” She caught herself. “Dallas, I appreciate your attempt to get to the bottom of this, but we are obligated to ensure the children’s safety.” Kira touched her finger to her chest. “I am, anyway.”

  “Don’t start that battle,” Dallas warned. “The boyfriend is gone, and Mom doesn’t think he’ll be back. For now, that is the best we can ask for. We’ll increase patrols in the area. Pete is getting a description as we speak. The boyfriend is probably staying away on purpose, but until he returns, we can’t just yank kids away from their custodial parent on a ‘maybe’ or a hunch.”

  Kira spoke softly, but firmly. “First of all, I’m not yanking kids away from parents, I’m protecting them. It isn’t a hunch. There’s a whole lot more than meets the eye going on here. For one thing, how was a little tiny girl like Betsy able to get out of the basement so easily?”

  Dallas shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “You know as well as I do, kids are industrious. Don’t tell me you never snuck out of your parent’s house when you were a kid.”

  She answered without hesitation. “As a matter of fact, I did.”

  He got a look of satisfaction in his icy blue eyes, without having to say ‘I told you so.’

  Before he distracted her, Kira added, “I snuck out of every foster home I was in until the Matthews family adopted me. But kids run for a reason. We need to find out why Betsy was sneaking out of her home.”

  The complacency disappeared from his face. Replaced by a look of dismay. She might have taken some satisfaction in her small victory, but was simply happy to have his attention, finally.

  “I’m sorry. I’d have never guessed you had such a difficult childhood.” His mouth twisted into a forced smile. “As much as I’d like to change the outcome of this call, Miss Matthews, I can’t. No crime has been committed. My gut tells me we don’t know the full truth, but we don’t have any reason to press charges. If I were a gambler, I would lay odds that we’ll be back before the weekend is over. Like you, I hope nothing happens in the meantime.”

  Kira shook her head. “I’m not waiting to take action. Did you get a good look through the house?”

  Dallas shook his head. “Officer Ford hunted for the girl, but he didn’t see anything out of line or he’d have said something.”

  “He obviously didn’t check the basement, or he’d have found Betsy. Right?”

  Dallas face reddened. “What are you talking about? If you’re still upset about me telling you to stay in the car, we followed policy for your protection, and ours.”

  “I know police policy, Officer. I grew up with it every day. I’m talking about something odd in the basement. Betsy said she locked the secret door.”

  “What?”

  “When I was trying to get Betsy to come out of the basement, I saw an odd glow in the next room. Through a doorway.”

  Dallas raised an eyebrow. “Glow? Such as?”

  “Fluorescent lights. Not the normal glow of table lamps.” He wasn’t catching her hints. “They have a really large gardenin the basement.”

  “I get it, Kira. You think they’re growing illegal drugs. I’m trying to stay in chronological order, so, you tried to get her to come out? You instigated it?”

  Kira shook her head. “I was standing next to the car, as instructed, when I looked up to see if you were around. Betsy peeked out of the window well and was ready to escape, so I went to talk to her.”

  Dallas was taking notes. “That’s it?”

  “No, that’s not it. I didn’t know if you were coming after her, and if so, if you’d be able to find her if she got out before you caught up with—”

  “I’m not questioning your decision, Miss Matthews,” he said impatiently. “I’m trying to determine if the suspicious plants were in plain sight or if you went looking for some reason to take the kids away from their mother….”

  “Social Services doesn’t go looking for reasons to take children from their families.” She placed her hands on her hips. “How dare you think such a thing. This is a perfect example of why—”

  “Let’s stick to this case, if we could.” He stared at her with a slight smile as he radioed the other officer. “Officer 138 to PD. Pete, stay with the family.”

  “I have jurisdiction with the children, you know,” Kira said.

  Dallas nodded, then took a step toward the house and checked out the basement windows.

  “We’re not leaving the children here.” She felt her blood pressure rise.

  “You’re barking up the wrong tree, Miss Matthews. I’m on your side. I just want to be sure we do it by the book so the charges stick. Was the window open when you got there to help the girl, or did you open it?” He started walking, shining his flashlight along the foundation. “Let’s go back to the window Betsy was in.”

  “Around the corner, kind of behind that lilac bush, in the shadows…” Kira extended her right arm in that direction as he followed.

  “Now, just to clarify, you didn’t touch the window at all, and the little girl climbed out on her own?”

  “Yes, I knelt down when I got here. I startled her, and she disappeared back into the house. That’s when I bent down to look for her. It just looked dark at first, but then I noticed the glow, and a sort of greenhouse in the other room.”

  Dallas leaned down to peer inside, shining his flashlight in the open window. He turned his light in each direction, and froze. “Whoa,” he said with obvious shock.

  “What? It’s marijuana, right?”

  He stood and pulled out his cell phone and dialed immediately. Dallas took several steps away from her and talked so quietly she couldn’t hear.

  When he returned, he took her by the elbow and led her to the house.

  She shook her arm loose. “What’s wrong?”

  Dallas’s mood had turned 180 degrees. “Get the kids ready to get out of here.”

  “Dallas,” Kira said impatiently. “Is it meth?”

  He walked closer to her and hurried her along. “Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration have been watching the guy, Mickey Zelanski, waiting for the chance to bust him and his dealers. We shouldn’t have been sent here. They’ve searched his house half a dozen times and can’t find the stash.” He motioned to the other officers. “Don’t let anyone
near that window,” he said to them. “The DEA is sending agents over to take over the investigation. Stay out of sight until they arrive.” He instructed them where to stand before he returned his attention to Kira. “We need to take care of business as quickly as possible, but first, I need to talk to Betsy, find out how she’s getting in there.”

  “You think that lunatic is watching?”

  “With a stash like this, there’s no doubt he will be, if he’s not already. We need to get out of here.”

  Kira looked right at him. “A stakeout? Here in Antelope Springs, Colorado?” She fought the urge to glance at the closest neighbor’s windows.

  “You don’t need to know that. Mickey will definitely be back, and when he arrives, he’ll have a greeting committee.”

  Kira still couldn’t believe the Drug Enforcement Administration was watching a house here in the middle of rural Colorado. She knew meth labs were common here, but they didn’t usually reach the level of the DEA. “Why is the DEA involved?”

  “Didn’t you notice the bags of meth and bricks of coke in the corner?” he asked quietly.

  “Cocaine?” As soon as she said it, she popped her hand over her mouth.

  “Who knows what all we’re going to find.”

  Kira looked around. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I think you need to get the children out of here as soon as possible.”

  Chapter Five

  FIVE

  As Kira walked toward the home, she took a deep breath, saying a quick prayer for God to give her wisdom to help this family. She paused before going inside, wondered which foster home, if any, had space available for two kids tonight. “Lord, would you prepare a home for these children while I go through the paperwork? I know the system is full, but I need a miracle, again.”

  “So, that necklace is more than just a decoration, huh?” Dallas said as he rejoined her again.

  “Definitely. I couldn’t get through a day without God. Some days we have a lot of talks. What about you?” Kira glanced quickly at the attractive officer, trying not to stare into his touch but tender gaze. He’s nice looking,she thought.

  “We have an on-again off-again relationship, it seems,” he said quietly as they reached the door. “In this line of work, you can’t survive without God to cover your back, but the attendance records in any church are pretty dismal.”

  “That’s the nature of the job, unfortunately.” Kira didn’t have time to think about his comments now. She had work to do. While the drug task force evaluated the contamination threat of the home, Kira and Dallas convinced the mother that she had no options left. Finally, Shirley gave the information Kira needed about parents and possible extended family members who might be able to take care of the children while she was “away.” Kira explained that a family group conference would be scheduled to meet with a review committee from Social Services to discuss care of the children. In the meantime, Kira would investigate the suitability of each family member.

  The mother was angry, Cody quiet and Betsy just plain afraid. A female officer came and sat with the kids in the other room while Kira talked with the mother.

  “Agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration will be here soon,” Dallas said, prompting her to finish up. “They’d like the kids out of here before they arrive. We need to have a doctor make sure the kids haven’t been exposed to any harmful chemicals or drugs.”

  The mother began swearing again as they were taken away.

  “What about the drugs,” Kira asked quietly. “Are they making them in the home, too?”

  “No, it’s not a kitchen, so we don’t have those risks to deal with. But just in case, they’ve had the children change clothes. And since it’s become such a big problem in the area, we have those new regulations to follow. We need to have the children checked out at the hospital. As for Mickey and Shirley, their problems are much bigger than you can imagine. Best we just get the kids into a home, where they can move on.”

  Her jaw dropped.

  “Come on, how soon will you be ready?” Dallas motioned toward the kids’ bedrooms. “Let’s get their things and go, so that the DEA can do their work.”

  Kira looked around each child’s room. There wasn’t much that they would be allowed to take, yet somehow they’d filled a few bags. “Anything else you need?”

  “I want my bear!” Betsy demanded.

  Dallas knelt down next to the girl. “I have a brand-new stuffed animal I’d like to give you, Betsy. I know it’s not the same but—”

  “I want mybear.”

  Kira offered Betsy a hug, while Cody hit them all over the head with the cold, hard facts. “They had to take it, Betsy. Mickey stuffed it with drugs, remember? The police have to take it now.” His voice was filled with bitterness.

  “Mama…” Betsy whimpered.

  It never failed to amaze Kira that children clung to the familiar even when it wasn’t worth holding on to. Getting the kids’ essentials together drained her, for it brought back too many memories of her own childhood misery.

  “We need to leave now,” she said softly. “I’m going to find a nice home for you to stay at until I’ve had a chance to talk with your aunt.”

  “No, I want Mommy,” Betsy whined, running down the hallway.

  Dallas caught her and lifted her into his arms. “Come on, Betsy, let’s find that new toy I have for you.” He carried her to the patrol car while Cody lagged defiantly behind.

  What little rapport Kira had managed to build with the girl diminished just as quickly once Betsy figured out she was being taken away from her mother. She wanted nothing to do with Kira now.

  Cody caught up with Officer Brooks immediately when Betsy screamed for her mother.

  “I’ll take care of her, she’s my sister.” Cody puffed his scrawny chest out and reached for Betsy. Officer Brooks relinquished the little girl without a word.

  That surprised her, but why, Kira wasn’t sure. She studied him a moment before turning to watch the boy’s response to his sister’s fear.

  “It’s going to be okay, Bets,” Cody said in a soothing voice. “I promise, I’ll take care of you.” He paused only long enough for Dallas to open the back door of Officer Williams’s patrol car. Williams had taken Dallas’s cruiser to the impound lot for the investigator to run prints and record the damage. They didn’t want the kids to see the destruction Mickey had done. They’d already been through enough.

  As Cody waited for his sister to climb into the car, he turned to Officer Brooks. “Thanks, man,” he said quietly.

  Kira couldn’t believe what she thought she heard. She shot a quick glance at Dallas just in time to see him deliberately wipe a smile from his face. “Just doing my job.”

  Kira carried the children’s belongings, feeling slightly left out. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had thanked her for removing them from a dangerous home setting. She waited for Dallas to close the door before she said anything. “What was thatabout?”

  “It’s our job. You can’t let feelings get in the way.”

  She stood there, stunned, while Dallas took the grocery bags holding the kids’ few belongings, and put them into the trunk. She knew he was right, but it didn’t stop the pain. She was the one who’d been terrorized, she’d found Betsy, then she’d convinced Dallas that they needed to be removed from the home. Yet he received the thanks, the hugs and the glory.

  How dare he claim they couldn’t let themselves get emotionally involved? “How, exactly, do you turn off the emotions, Officer Brooks?”

  “I thought we agreed that you’d call me Dallas. I’m doing my job. There’s no room for emotions.”

  She didn’t believe him for a minute. “Job well done, then. If you wouldn’t mind taking us to the police station so I can get my car, I’d appreciate it.”

  “I’ll be happy to, after we have the kids checked out at the hospital. Hopefully, that won’t take too long, since the house wasn’t where the meth was cooked.”r />
  Kira called the Social Services number and discussed the case with the staff member on duty. A few minutes later, as Dallas and Kira waited for clearance from the hospital, she said, “The intake caseworker is having trouble finding a home where we can keep the children together. As usual, we’re overloaded with children, and understaffed with foster homes.”

  While she was talking, Dallas dug through a box in the trunk filled with stuffed toys. Finally he pulled out a golden bunny. “Think she’ll like this?”

  “It might distract her for now.” Kira knew it was unlikely that a new stuffed animal would console Betsy for the loss of Fuzzy Bear, but it was worth a try. What Betsy wanted was security, and right now, that felt a long way off to a little girl.

  Dallas tossed the golden-yellow bunny into the air and caught it with his other hand. “It’s going to be a long road for these kids, isn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Kira agreed.

  “Here.” He handed the toy to Kira. “You give it to her.”

  She caught it, startled by the unexpected gesture. The softness of the fur surprised her as well. When she looked up to thank Dallas, he was already in the car.

  After a slight hesitation, she opened the back door and climbed inside. “Dal…” She caught herself. “Officer Brooks found this for you, Betsy. We know it won’t be the same as Fuzzy.” She paused to brush the soft fur one more time. “But if you close your eyes and snuggle her, it feels soft and fuzzy like your bear.” Kira handed the toy to Betsy. “Look, the bunny’s fur is the same color as your hair.”

  Betsy closed her eyes and brushed the bunny against her cheek. A tiny smile replaced the pout. “Thank you.” She hugged the animal and held it up for her brother’s approval, and it even brought a brief smile to his face.

  Two hours later, both kids had a clean bill of health and Kira was on her way to the short-term foster care home. It would be a couple of days before Social Services could evaluate the aunt’s qualifications as a kinship provider. Unfortunately, the only place in the county that had room for both children on short notice was thirty minutes away. Since the intake caseworker who was on call lived in the opposite direction from the foster home, Kira had agreed to drop the kids off on her way home. “Are you two hungry? I can stop and get you a hamburger.”