Mia wasn’t used to drawing pictures, but Amanda was so nice that she didn’t want to make her mad, so she picked up a crayon and began to draw some trees. Amanda told her she could use more than one crayon—in fact, she could use any colors she wanted and could even switch off whenever she felt like it. Mia was glad she told her this, because she hadn’t been sure of the rules.
Amanda started coloring too, and then she asked some questions in a really nice way. Mia tried hard to think of the right way to answer. She knew that if she said the wrong thing Amanda might get mad, so she was careful.
Amanda said, “Mia is such a lovely name. What’s your last name?”
Mia shrugged. She knew that Jacob’s last name was Fleming and so was Ma’am’s and Mister’s. She saw it on the envelopes that came in the mail. Once she’d thought her last name might be Fleming too, but Jacob had told her that wasn’t true. She had a last name, he said. They just didn’t know what it was.
“You don’t know what it is, or you don’t want to tell me?”
Mia thought carefully. Jacob had told her it was safe to answer all questions here, and Amanda did seem nice. “I don’t know.”
“That’s okay. Sometimes we don’t know things.”
Mia let out a sigh of relief. Jacob was right. Amanda was not going to get mad at her. “I know Jacob’s last name. It’s Fleming.”
“Jacob. Is he the boy who came in with you?”
Mia nodded. “Jacob is nice to me.”
“Do you and Jacob live in the same house? With his mom and dad?”
“Yes.”
“Does anyone else live in the house?”
“No.”
Without looking up from her paper, Amanda said, “So, Mia, I think I’m going to draw a picture of the house where I live. Do you want to draw a picture of your house?”
Mia glanced her way, trying to assess the situation. She wasn’t sure how to answer. It was clear Amanda wanted Mia to say yes. The problem was that Mia couldn’t draw the house because she didn’t really know what Jacob’s house looked like from the outside. She had only seen the front from the car when they had gone to the state fair, and that had been a long time ago and she didn’t really remember. She’d gone out the back door into the yard several times, but even then she hadn’t stopped to look at the house because she was too busy noticing the trees and the sky and the way Griswold jumped around in the grass. Griswold. She had been gone a long time. He was going to miss her and wonder where she was. Thinking about this made her sad. Mia had already cried once today, and she was not going to do it again, so she blinked back tears and looked away from Amanda.
Amanda said, “It’s okay. You don’t have to draw your house. It was just an idea.”
Mia nodded. “Okay.”
“What would you like to draw?”
“Can I draw Griswold?”
“Sure. What’s a Griswold?”
Mia found herself smiling. “Griswold is a dog. Jacob says he loves me best.”
“Of course you can draw Griswold. I would love to see what he looks like.”
Mia selected a brown crayon to match Griswold’s fur.
They colored for a long time. Amanda loved her picture of Griswold, and she also loved the one Mia drew of her room in the basement. She wanted to hear all about the bookcase and how Mia’s room was a special secret. Then Mia started to feel better about telling Amanda things, so she drew a picture of Ma’am and Mister and Jacob together. Ma’am’s hair color was not quite the right color of red, but the rest of it was very good. She even did Jacob’s shaggy hair. “Where are you in this picture?” Amanda asked.
“I’m not in the picture. It was a Tuesday, so I was scrubbing the shower stall. I always get it really clean,” she said proudly.
“I see. Did you have different chores every day?”
Mia nodded. “And sometimes I did extra so Ma’am would be happy.”
Amanda asked a lot of questions about Mia’s chores. Mia told her about the time they went to the state fair and that sometimes she got to go outside in the backyard, but not that much because someone could see her and they’d send her away, which would be very scary. She leaned across the table and whispered, “Sometimes Ma’am gets really mad, so please don’t tell her I was talking about things.”
“I won’t tell her.” Amanda smiled. “What does Ma’am do when she gets mad?”
“Sometimes she doesn’t do anything.” The times she did nothing were terrible because Ma’am just got a look on her face that made Mia shudder. The look told Mia that something inside of Ma’am was building up to something awful, and she never knew what it was or when it was coming out. The times Ma’am reacted right away were terrifying but easier. “Sometimes she hits and yells and pushes. Sometimes she just yells. One time she threw plates at Mister and they broke into lots of pieces and made a big mess and all of us had to clean it up.”
“That sounds frightening,” Amanda said. “So you really haven’t left the house in a long time, then?”
“Today I did.” Mia looked around. “Do you know when I can go home? I have to feed Griswold.” She didn’t say how much she missed him. That was a private thing.
Instead of answering her question, Amanda said, “It’s hard sometimes to meet new people and go new places, but we’re having a nice time right now, aren’t we?” When Mia nodded, she added, “So sometimes change is a good thing. Try not to be afraid of change, Mia, okay? There are lots of people who want to help you.”
Mia said, “Okay,” even though Amanda wasn’t making sense. Mia didn’t know lots of people, so who were these people, and how could they want to help her? And help her do what? It was confusing and overwhelming being out of the house, and she didn’t think she liked change. But she was a good girl, and if Amanda told her not to be afraid, she would try her best.
They colored, and then Amanda tried to get Mia to play dolls with her, but Mia didn’t know the rules of dolls, so it was hard to know what to do. When another lady knocked on the door, Amanda excused herself and got up to talk to her. They spoke so quietly that Mia couldn’t hear what they said. When Amanda came back to the table, she said, “Mia, this lady is a social worker. She works with kids when they have problems. Her name is Franny Benson.”
Franny Benson crouched down so that she could look right in Mia’s eyes. “Hi, Mia. It’s nice to meet you.”
Mia noticed her long gray hair pulled up on the sides and her dark eyes fringed with long lashes. Franny Benson had crinkles around her eyes and a big smile. Her teeth were slightly crooked, and her earrings were tiny silver monkeys that looked like they were hanging by one arm off her earlobes. She looked like a television grandma. On the TV shows Mia watched, grandmothers were always nice. “Hi,” she said shyly.
Franny Benson took a seat at the table. “You can call me Franny if you want.” She looked at Mia’s pictures and thought they were so good. “You did a wonderful job,” she said, making Mia beam with pride. She asked Mia to identify the people in the picture and also asked some of the same questions Amanda had asked, but it was easier for Mia to talk this time. Franny didn’t seem like she was trying to get Mia to say things. It seemed like she asked because she cared. When Mia was done, Franny said, “I’ll tell you what, Mia. Amanda has to go back to work, and I bet you’re tired of being here too.”
Mia nodded.
Franny continued. “I’ll be the one taking care of you now, and I’d like to take you somewhere where you will be safe. We’ll be driving in my car. I have snacks in my car, and we can listen to music. You can ask me any questions you want, and I promise I’ll tell you the truth. How does that sound?”
“Why can’t I go home?”
“The people you were living with—the Flemings—they aren’t going to be there, and you can’t stay alone.” Franny shook her head sadly. “I know this is difficult for you, but it can’t be helped. Kids can’t stay by themselves. The law says you have to be with a grown-up.”
&nbs
p; “I stay alone lots of times.”
“I know, but you really weren’t supposed to be alone.” She gave Mia a small smile. “They have a law that says so. It’s to make sure kids are safe.”
“Jacob could stay with me.”
“Oh, honey, Jacob’s not a grown-up just yet, and he won’t be there either.”
“But where will he be?” Her voice came out louder than she’d intended. Everything was changing so fast.
“I don’t know. Someone else is going to find a safe place for him to be while we get this all sorted out.”
Mia felt wet tears falling down her cheeks. She couldn’t hold them back, but at least she wasn’t making any noise. “I don’t want to go somewhere else.”
“I know. It’s not easy, is it?” Franny got out her phone. “Just give me a minute, Mia. I need to make a phone call. I think I know someone who can help.” She got up and went out into the hallway to talk.
While she was gone, Amanda gave Mia a Kleenex. “Everything’s going to be fine, Mia. You’ll see.”
When Franny came back into the room, she placed the phone on the table in front of Mia. “There’s someone who’d like to talk to you, Mia.”
“Mia?” It was Jacob’s voice coming out of the phone.
“Jacob!”
“Hey, squirt! I have to go meet with my uncle, so I’m not going to be home for a while. Franny Benson is a real nice lady, and you need to go with her right now. She said you can stop for something to eat, and you can even get Sprite if you want.”
She looked up to see both Amanda and Franny studying her with kindly expressions. “But what about Griswold? Someone has to feed him.”
“Niki has my house key, and she’s going to take care of Griswold while I’m gone, so you don’t need to worry about him.”
“But, Jacob”—here she stopped due to a catch in her voice—“what about your mom and dad?”
“They want you to go with Franny too,” he said. “They’re not going to be going home for a long time.” There was a pause, and then he said, “Everything is going to be okay, Mia. Just go with Franny. Have I ever lied to you before?”
“No.”
“You’re going to be fine, Mia. You’ll see. It’s all going to work out.”
“Okay. If you say so.” After Jacob said goodbye and Mia said goodbye back to him, she turned to Franny and said, “I’m ready to go now.”
Chapter Fifty-Two
By the time Uncle Cal arrived, Jacob had unburdened his soul to the deputies. Off the record and voluntarily, of course, because he was still a minor. It felt so good to finally tell the story, his way. And when the social worker, Franny Benson, called him right after that, he readily agreed to talk to Mia and reassure her that it was fine to go with Franny in her car. After their conversation was over, he was sad to realize that he might never see Mia again.
Three hours later, he and Uncle Cal were at a different location, this time the police station near his own house, to answer even more questions. His father met them in the hallway, along with an attorney. Jacob had never been so happy to see someone in his entire life. He gave his dad a big hug. When they pulled apart, his dad said, “You have nothing to worry about, Jacob. I’ll take care of everything.” Then he turned to Uncle Cal and shook his hand. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’re doing this for us. Thanks, Cal.”
“Of course,” Uncle Cal said. “That’s what family’s for.”
Since his grandfather died, they hadn’t visited with his grandmother or uncle, and they rarely even spoke to them on the phone. His mom had said this was because they’d been critical of Jacob, making fun of his weight and mocking his poor grades. “No one talks about my son that way!” she’d said indignantly. Now Jacob was pretty sure none of it was true. Cal seemed like a good guy. And he definitely understood how Suzette’s mind worked.
Instead of judging Jacob for not divulging Mia’s imprisonment sooner, Cal had been sympathetic. “Suzette always did have a way of boxing a person in. Don’t beat yourself up, Jacob. You were a kid yourself.”
Now at the police station, he and Uncle Cal sat outside on a bench while his dad and the attorney spoke to the police. They had a long time to talk. Uncle Cal said, “Your dad told me on the phone that both he and your mom will probably be charged and go to prison. I hope that’s not the case, but if it is, I want you to know you’re not alone. You can come and live with me if you want, or if you want to finish out your high school year, your grandma has offered to come down and stay with you until then. She can either move into your house or rent an apartment for the two of you for a few months.” He gave Jacob’s arm a pat. “We’ll get it worked out.”
After two hours, an officer came to where they were sitting and asked them to follow him into the room where his father had been taken for questioning. When Cal and Jacob took a seat at the table, Jacob’s dad said, “The detectives have some questions for you, son, and I want you to answer them as truthfully as you can.”
Jacob said, “Sure, Dad.” His eyes shifted from the two detectives to his father and then to the attorney. Everyone seemed so relaxed. Maybe his dad wasn’t in trouble after all.
Almost as if he’d heard his thoughts, his dad said, “We’ve been able to reach an agreement, and part of that agreement is that you are not being charged for any crimes, so you don’t need to worry about that, okay? I’ve got it all worked out.”
So that meant his dad had taken responsibility for everything. Jacob felt his eyes cloud up, and he quickly blinked back tears. He nodded to show he understood.
The detectives’ questions had to do with how Mia had been found in the first place. Jacob described the drive down from his grandmother’s house into Wisconsin. Detail after detail poured out as they asked more and more questions. Jacob answered as best he could, trying to keep it to just the facts, the way they kept reminding him to do.
When all was said and done, the older detective thanked Jacob for his cooperation and said he was free to go home with his uncle. “Someone from social services will be in touch,” he said. “Normally there would be a process to make sure that you, as a minor, would have a relative designated to stay with you, but since you’ll be eighteen in two weeks, my guess is that an informal agreement will be sufficient.”
Uncle Cal spoke up. “I promise you that either his grandmother or I will be with Jacob for the rest of the school year. Or longer, if that’s what he wants.”
“That’s a great comfort to me,” his dad said. “Thank you, Cal.”
“But what about Mia?” Jacob asked.
The detective met his gaze. “Mia is in good hands. She’s being well cared for by social services, and we’re going to do everything we can to see if she has any relatives. If we can’t find any family members—”
“But she does have family!” Jacob said. “Grandparents and an uncle. I can tell you their names.”
Chapter Fifty-Three
The next day, Amy let herself into the house and walked into the kitchen while Niki and Sharon were still eating breakfast. “Amy!” Sharon said, getting up to greet her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming home? We would have picked you up from the airport.”
Amy held up a hand. “Don’t even start with me,” she said. “Both of you are on my list.”
“What list?” Niki asked. Fred had given her the day off, so she was still in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, a stark contrast to Amy’s wool coat and dress pants.
“Would you like some coffee?” Sharon got up to get a mug out of the cabinet.
Amy ignored both questions. “I thought that if the two of you were living together it would be a good thing.” She pointed at her mother. “I thought you’d like having some company in the house.” Turning, she gestured to Niki. “And I thought you could benefit from living with an older person who would be a steadying influence. Did I ever dream that the two of you would spur each other on and get into legal trouble? No, I did not. And yes, I’ll take that
coffee.” She took off her coat and slung it over the back of a chair, then sat down opposite Niki. “With a splash of cream, please.”
Sharon got the mug of coffee ready and put it in front of Amy. “Having Niki here has been a godsend, both for me and for a little girl named Mia, who is now freed from years of servitude. Don’t be mad. You did a good thing, Amy, putting us together.” She reached around from behind and gave her a hug, resting her cheek on her daughter’s head.
Niki watched them, her smile broadening. Sharon had called her a godsend, and clearly she meant it. Even Sarge seemed to be excited to have her around, coming upstairs every evening and meowing at her closed door to be let in for a visit. For once she was in someone else’s house and didn’t feel like an outsider.
Yesterday Sharon had driven to Harlow with the social worker, Franny Benson, to pick Niki up from the sheriff’s office. Niki had been so happy to see her that without thinking she’d rushed into her arms, and Sharon had hugged her in return. The deputies had taken Sharon’s statement, and Franny’s too, and then Franny had left the sheriff’s office to see to Mia. Before Sharon’s arrival, the deputies had seemed skeptical of Niki’s story. One of them, a husky man with a silver-gray buzz cut, had asked, more than once, “So you’re saying that before today, you had no knowledge that this little girl had been kidnapped and was being held illegally in your neighbor’s house?” And then he insinuated that since she and Jacob were good friends, she had to have been involved, or at least had some knowledge that a crime had been committed. She told him that she barely knew Jacob, but she could tell he didn’t quite believe that either. He said, “So you took the day off of work, borrowed a car from your employer, and drove all this way to help out someone you barely know?” Put that way, it did sound unlikely. The whole while she was being questioned Niki was afraid she was going to be arrested, but that ended once the two older women arrived.
The Moonlight Child Page 28