Orphans 05 Runaways

by V. C. Andrews

  community behind.

  "Is this a shortcut or something?" I asked. "I

  know I didn't come this way."

  "Whenever we find a vehicle deserted on one of

  our highways, it's just procedure to run a make on the

  plates," he explained softly. He flashed another smile

  in my direction.

  "Oh," Raven moaned. She sat back and stared

  out the window.

  "You're not Gordon Tooey, are you?" he asked

  me after a moment.

  "No," I said, swallowing down a lump in my

  throat.

  "And I bet nobody back there is either, huh?"

  he followed talking to them through the rearview

  mirror.

  "Hardly," Crystal replied.

  I saw the sheriff's station directly ahead. He

  looked at me.

  "We're going to stop by here," he said, "because

  there are some people who have a few questions for

  you girls. I bet you know what some of those

  questions are, huh?"

  "Yes sir," I said, lowering my eyes.

  He laughed.

  "Well, no matter what, girls, I stand by what I

  said back there. It sure is nice to see young people do

  a good deed. Of course, it makes this whole thing as

  confusing as hell, but it sure is nice," he said and

  pulled into the station's parking lot.

  "Are we under arrest?" I asked after he turned

  off his engine.

  "We usually investigate, ask questions, gather

  evidence and then arrest people," he said. "All I have

  right now are four very suspicious looking people.

  Come on," he said, opening his door, "let's see if we

  can straighten all this out to where it makes some

  sense."

  He opened the door for Crystal, Butterfly and

  Raven and the four of us walked with him toward the

  front of the building.

  "It's all right," Crystal said. "It's just like we

  discussed."

  Raven looked at her as if she had gone mad and

  then gazed at me as if I had betrayed her, betrayed

  them all.

  They put us in a large conference room. There

  was a glass window across from us and I had seen

  enough television shows and movies to imagine that it was a one-way window with people observing us on the other side. A police receptionist came in first and offered us soft drinks. Crystal asked for some tea and

  the rest of us had Sprites.

  "What's going to happen to us now?" Butterfly

  asked in a tiny voice as she sipped her drink. "We could go to jail," Raven replied, fear raw

  in her voice.

  Butterfly looked at Crystal and then at me.

  "Let's not rush to any conclusions," Crystal said.

  "Let's see what they ask and say first."

  Just then the door opened and a woman in her

  late forties entered, wearing a deputy policeman's

  uniform.

  She didn't wear a pistol, but she had a pair of

  handcuffs dangling off her belt. She carried a

  clipboard and walked with a stiff, military posture. "My name's Lieutenant Mathews," she said,

  pointing to a name tag that read MATHEWS above

  her left breast. She sat across from us and just studied

  our faces for a moment before looking down at her

  sheets. "Who's Brooke Okun?"

  "I am," I said. She stared at me as if she wanted

  to memorize my face.

  "Janet Taylor?"

  "Me," Butterfly said. Again, a moment's hard

  look before she turned to read.

  "Raven Flores?"

  "Pleased to meet you," Raven said.

  Lieutenant Mathews' eyes sharpened before she

  turned to Crystal.

  "And that leaves Crystal Perry?"

  "Yes," Crystal said.

  "All right, girls," Lieutenant Mathews said, putting aside her clipboard. "I heard how you helped a

  family just now and what a wonderful thing you did,

  so I know I'm not dealing with delinquents, but unless

  I hear some reason why not, you're all suspects for

  grand auto theft. What's more, you've taken the car

  across state lines, and," she added gazing down at her

  sheet, "no one here has a legal driver's license. Are

  any of these facts untrue?"

  "We didn't steal the car. We just borrowed it for

  a little while," Raven began.

  Lieutenant Mathews did not smile, she just

  flipped some pages and folded them over.

  "You are all legal wards of the state. I have sent

  for a representative of the Child Protection Services

  here and he's on his way."

  "Well, why don't we wait until he arrives before we discuss our situation any further," Crystal concluded. She took her glasses off and wiped them clean. Her coolness did not win us any pity, nor did Raven's smug smile. Even Butterfly's face of abject terror won us no sympathy. I looked down, my heart

  thumping.

  "The best thing you girls can do for yourselves

  now is tell the truth," Lieutenant Mathews said.

  "No one wants to make this any bigger than it

  already is. You did all the driving?" she asked me. "We all drove," Raven said protectively. "Even

  Butterfly. We got her a pillow so she could see over

  the steering wheel."

  "In a little while, Miss Flores, you won't find

  this to be so funny. I assure you," she added. There was a knock on the door. She stared at us

  rather than answer it and there was another knock.

  Finally, she stood up and opened it. A tall, thin man

  who looked more terrified than we did gazed in at us.

  He wore a dark brown suit and tie and had a narrow

  face with a nose that looked like it could be a practice

  ski slope. His mouth curled down at the corners to

  frame his lower jaw, which was rounded, the bones

  sharp against his light complexion. He had light blue

  round eyes and shifted them from one of our faces to

  the other, the lines in his mouth deepening even more. "Okay, Mr. Glashalter. They're yours for the

  moment. They need some real guidance, I'd say,"

  Lieutenant Mathews told him. She looked back at us

  and then left.

  He entered, carrying his briefcase and taking

  Lieutenant Mathews' seat.

  "Hello girls. I'm Clarence Glashalter and I'm

  with the Child Protection Services here. I have some

  information about you, but I'll need you to answer a

  few questions. I do know you stole the automobile of

  the man who was your foster father, correct?" He

  didn't wait for us to reply. "And you've been driving

  west for days. Where were you headed?"

  "We were trying to get to California," I said. He nodded as if that were a legitimate purpose.

  "Yes, and?"

  "And get away from foster homes forever," Raven added.

  "By stealing your foster parent's car, though?" "He's not exactly Mr. Clean," Raven continued. "Well," Clarence Glashalter said, gazing at his

  paper work, "apparently, he's Mr. Forgiveness. I was

  just told that he is willing to drop all charges against

  you if you will all return to the home. He's flying out

  here to pick up his automobile."

  "Return? I'd rather go to jail," Raven said. Glashalter looked at all of us and saw a similar

  desire. He shook his head.

  "He claims his wife is ve
ry fond of you all and

  has been very upset, sick actually over this. They

  don't sound like monsters to me. Besides, I don't think

  you want to go to jail for stealing a car," he added

  with a smile.

  "Yes, we do. We'll survive," Raven insisted.

  "As long as we're together, we'll survive. We're

  sisters."

  "I understand that," Clarence Glashalter said.

  He shook his head. "But the four of you won't be

  going to the same place."

  Butterfly moaned and looked at me and then

  Raven with desperation.

  "This isn't funny It's not some game we're

  playing, girls."

  "What do we have to do?" Crystal asked

  quickly.

  "You have to apologize and go back and

  behave yourselves. I might get you on probation then.

  It bodes well for you that you helped that family just

  now," he added.

  "We don't want to go back. We can't go back,"

  Raven cried. "He's a monster."

  "If you have any legitimate complaints about

  your foster parents, you should be telling your

  counselors back in New York, not stealing cars and

  driving across the country," Mr. Glashalter said. "Follow procedures. I'm sure you're familiar

  with them. You've all been in the system awhile and .

  . ."

  "Oh, the system," Raven groaned. "I'll just run

  away again," Raven threatened.

  Mr. Glashalter's lips lifted and stretched. His

  eyes narrowed as he stared at her.

  "Then you'll just get into deeper trouble and

  you won't have an opportunity like this, believe me,"

  he said. "I assure you, if you are not cooperative . ." "We'll cooperate," Crystal promised quickly.

  "Thank you for helping us."

  Mr. Glashalter returned to his plastic smile and

  directed himself at Crystal.

  "Very wise decision, my dear. That's smart.

  That way I can do what I can to help you," he told her.

  "What do we do now?" Crystal asked.

  "For now, I want you all to sit tight. I'll explain

  things to the sheriff and speak with the assistant district attorney. It will take a while, but I think we can manage it all as long as you remain cooperative,"

  he added with no veiled threat in his voice. He rose. "I'll be back shortly," he said and left us. As

  soon as he did, Raven spun on Crystal. "Why don't

  you tell him what we found in the car? Why don't you

  tell him why we don't want to go back with Gordon

  Tooey?" she asked.

  "Why would they believe us, Raven? And then

  what . . . Gordon changes his mind, presses charges

  and they split us up? Do you want to see that happen?

  Do you?"

  "Of course not," Raven said, "but . . ." "Then no buts. Just be patient, be prudent and

  wait for another opportunity," Crystal said softly. "But you know what he's going to want and

  when he finds out what we did . . ."

  "What's he going to do, turn us in for throwing

  away his cocaine?"

  "I hate to think what he's going to do," Raven

  said. She looked to me for help.

  "For the moment, Raven," I said, "we have no

  other choice."

  "It's easy to say that now," Raven cried, "but in

  a while Gordon Tooey will be coming through that

  door." No one spoke.

  The thunder of our own hearts filled our ears. It

  was enough.

  14 The Evil Men Do

  Every time the door opened, our breath caught in anticipation of facing Gordon. After Mr. Glashalter left, the first person to come in, however, was the deputy who had brought us from the hospital. He carried bags of burgers and fries with some sodas under his arm. The delicious aromas made my stomach churn.

  "I thought you girls might be a little hungry. Looks like you'll be here awhile," he said, putting the bags on the table. He stood back. "Go on, eat them while they're hot. Compliments of the county," he added with a big grin.

  I looked at Crystal. She nodded and we passed the burgers and fries to each other. The deputy watched us a moment and I could see the wheels turning in Raven's head. I squirmed in my seat and glanced at Crystal, who looked just as anxious about her.

  "Suppose you found drugs in someone's car but you didn't tell the police, is that a crime?" Raven blurted.

  I think the mouthful of burger bun I swallowed turned to stone in my throat. "It's always a crime to withhold evidence or not report a crime you know is in progress," he replied. "Why?"

  "I just wondered," she said.

  "Are there drugs in that station wagon?" he followed. He would have had to be dumber than a rock not to have asked her, I thought.

  "No," Raven said.

  "Were there?" He waited. "If there were, there might still be some residue."

  "And if there isn't?" Crystal asked. "You can't prove there were any, right?"

  "Absent of physical evidence or an eyewitness, no," he said.

  Crystal grated at Raven.

  "I'm talking about another car," she said. "A boyfriend of mine back home."

  "Oh. Well, you better drop him like a hot potato," the deputy advised. "If he gets picked up with that stuff and you're with him, it won't go well for you." He looked at Butterfly. "I bet you'd like an ice cream cone. What's your favorite flavor?"

  "I like strawberry," she said.

  "Anybody else? Better get me while the getting is good," he said.

  "I'll have a vanilla cone," Raven said. Crystal and I declined and he left to get them.

  "That was really stupid, Raven. Can you imagine what would have happened if he ripped apart the wagon with Gordon watching and they found nothing?" Crystal asked. "Gordon would see his drugs were gone and he would have been furious. I'm sure he would press charges against us then."

  "I just wondered if there was another way out of here," Raven moaned. "You know I don't want to do anything to break us up."

  "I'm scared," Butterfly whimpered, her lips quivering ominously. "I was never arrested before."

  "You're not being arrested now," Crystal assured her. She fixed her eyes on Raven. "No one's going to do anything or say anything more."

  Everyone was quiet a moment.

  "Well, I'm scared too," Raven admitted. "I'm sorry, but I am."

  "We're going to be all right," I said. "Don't worry about it."

  "Right. I won't worry. You'll call super mechanic and he'll come flying in his, what did you say he called it? His Betty Lou?"

  I glared back at her, tears of rage burning my eyes. She looked down and folded her arms.

  The sheriff's deputy returned with the cones and told us they had just gotten word that Gordon would be here in an hour. Then he left us again.

  "How could he get here so fast?" Raven wondered. She looked at Crystal.

  "He flew from someplace closer," she said and then added, "the credit card."

  Raven snapped her head around at me.

  "That's right. He's been tracking us because of it."

  "It was a good idea in the beginning, Raven," I said defensively. "We all thought so. And what difference does it make now whether he's here in an hour or four? He's coming. There's nothing we can do about that."

  "Brooke's right, Raven. Please," Crystal pleaded, "let's stop this bickering."

  "I don't want to go back with him," Butterfly said, looking from Raven to me. "I don't, Crystal. I don't." She started to shake her head so vigorously, I thought she would snap her neck.

  "Oh no," Raven said. "If she goes into one of those catatonic states now . . ."

  "Let's join," Crystal cried quickly. She was like someone throwin
g a pail of water on a smoldering fire.

  We all rose and circled Butterfly. Her eyes were already beginning to roll back. We put our arms around each other and lowered our heads to hers.

  "We're sisters," Crystal said. "We'll be all right. We'll always be all right as long as we are together. We're strong."

  "We're sisters," Raven and I chanted along. "We'll be all right."

  Butterfly-Clutched our hands and the four of us held on to each other as if we thought the floor was soon going to fall out from under us as we continued our chant.

  "What are you girls doing now?" Mr. Glashalter asked. We hadn't heard him enter. We stopped and parted. "What is this, some form of witchcraft?"

  We all returned to our seats. Butterfly looked much better. Color had returned to her face and she wasn't breathing as hard.

  "It's nothing," Crystal said. "We're just comforting each other. That's our way."

  He stared at us for a moment and then took a seat across from Raven.

  "Okay, I've worked out all the details. The authorities are in agreement. You will be signed over to your foster father, who will once again assume responsibility for you. The matter of driving without a license, bringing a stolen vehicle into the state will all be put aside here, but the details will be given to your agency back in New York. You're all very lucky to get off this easily," he added.

  "Yeah, I feel like we won the lottery," Raven muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear.

  "You better start appreciating favors when people do them for you, young lady," he snapped. "Nothing's coming to you in this world just because you're here," he added, his mouth twisting as if his face were made of putty.

  Raven's shoulders hoisted as she leaned toward him.

  "Raven!" Crystal warned. She could see Raven was about to explode and who knew what would come out of her mouth this time. Instead, she looked at Crystal, retreated, wrapped her arms around herself tightly and bit down on her lower lip.

  Mr. Glashalter completed the paper work he was doing and then went out to wait for Gordon. A short while later, Lieutenant Mathews came for us.

  "Your foster father has arrived," she

  announced. "Let's go, girls."

  Crystal took Butterfly's hand quickly and we all rose and followed Lieutenant Mathews out. Gordon was leaning against the dispatcher's desk, a wide grin on his face. He wore a light brown leather jacket and dungarees. His hair was down over his forehead and he looked tired, unshaven, with shadows under his eyes. I imagined him driving night and day in hot pursuit.

  "There they are, my girls," he cried. "Louise is so worried about you. I should be very mad, girls. I should be mad," he said. Then he turned to the dispatcher and shook his head. "I would be, but I keep thinking of all the pranks I pulled when I was their age."