by Sharon Sala
Kelly nodded. “I’ve been dating a really nice boy, even though Paul and Betty told me not to. We did something else we were told not to do, and now I’m pregnant. We’ve already talked about getting married as soon as school is out. We’re going to be together. He loves me as much as I love him, but when I told Paul and Betty I was pregnant, they went berserk. Paul raged about me turning into the same slut my mother was and said I was crazy if I thought they would raise another bastard. Betty yelled and cried, saying she was too old to raise another kid and had been looking forward to the day I was no longer their responsibility. I guess I lost it. I stood there watching them losing their minds and thought I can’t stay here until I graduate. I was so scared that I actually thought they might hurt me. So when they left the house later, I packed some things and came here.”
“Why didn’t you leave a note?” Lon asked. “If you had, none of this would be happening.”
“Because they don’t know Paula and I had found each other. They don’t know a thing about Paula or her life, and I didn’t want to bring them back into her world when she’d spent so many years staying out of theirs.”
“I have to ask,” Lon said. “Why did you go off and leave your baby with your parents, knowing they were so erratic?”
Paula paled. “That’s just it. I didn’t leave her behind. I went to Nashville to find an apartment. Once upon a time, I had dreams of being a singer and planned to live and work there as I pursued that dream. I asked if they would keep her until I came back, and they said yes. They were in the process of getting rid of the foster kids they cared for. Mercy was one of the last to leave. In fact, she was still there when I left. I didn’t know until we ran into each other a couple of years ago here in Savannah that my parents had told another story. All I knew was that when I came back less than a month later to get my baby and the rest of my things, they were gone. They had taken my child. I was twenty years old. I had no money, no prospects, just an old furnished apartment above a bar. I thought about going to the police, and then I thought about taking a four month-old baby into the unknown with me, and made a terrible decision. I went back to Nashville without looking for them. It was the worst decision I ever made. I was so happy when Kelly came looking for me.”
Kelly leaned against her, as if gaining strength from her mother’s presence. “I began the search because home was hell. I kept thinking whatever my mother was doing couldn’t be worse than where I was.”
Lon’s frown deepened. “What was happening at home? Were you being beaten?”
The anger in Mercy’s voice was obvious when she spoke up abruptly. “I’ll bet I know why she left. Did you get the military punishments too?”
Kelly nodded and burst into tears.
“What do you mean by ‘military punishments’?” Lon asked.
But this time when Mercy spoke, her voice was completely void of emotion. “Push-ups…fifty for anyone ten and under, one hundred for anyone older, running for miles at night with him on a bicycle beside us, going to school the next day with three or less hours of sleep, cleaning bathrooms with toothbrushes, and the ultimate punishment, solitary confinement.”
Paula shuddered. “Solitary confinement was the closet in the basement, rats and all,” she added.
Lon was shocked. “And your mother let it happen?”
“She was the one responsible for cleaning toilets with a toothbrush and solitary confinement,” Paula said.
“So no one told a social worker?”
Paula shrugged. “I did. They told the social worker I was just angry because they wouldn’t let me date. Then they asked the younger ones.”
“And we were too scared to tell the truth,” Mercy said.
“Are you going to make me go back to them?” Kelly asked.
“Oh, hell no,” Lon said, and took the cell phone out of his pocket and immediately called the station.
“Hey, Chief, everything okay?” Larry asked.
“Yes. Kelly’s fine. She’s safe where she’s at. I’m not going into details, but whatever you do, don’t let the Rogers couple out of jail. I’ll be back with time enough to deal with them myself. Talk to you soon.”
“Will do,” Larry said.
Lon glanced at Mercy. The white line around her mouth hurt his heart. “Bad memories?”
She nodded. “I was just a kid. I got over it.”
Lon was sick to his stomach and afraid he’d say the wrong thing, so he squeezed her hand instead. “I’m so sorry.”
“We’re all sorry,” Paula said. “Me, most of all. I knew what he was like, and I still ran away and left those foster kids behind without telling the police. And I ran away and left my own baby girl, not intentionally at first, but after I found the house empty, I let it go.”
By that time, Paula Grimes was weeping.
Lon leaned forward, intent that Kelly understood the circumstances of her situation. “So your parents are in jail for now, but I can’t promise a judge won’t let them bond out.”
“They’re not my parents,” Kelly said.
“They never adopted her,” Paula said.
Kelly nodded. “They aren’t my legal guardians either. Nothing was ever done through the courts. They’re my grandparents, and this is my mother.”
Lon shook his head. “This is going to take a lawyer to figure everything out, but can I trust Kelly to stay here and you to keep her safe?”
“Lord, yes,” Paula said. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been a CPA for the last fifteen years with a damn good clientele and an office in my house open to the public. My husband died years ago. He didn’t leave me rich, but I’ve been comfortable. My business put me here. I always was good with numbers. Just not so good at life.”
“Then I’ll be in touch. Kelly, I suggest you text your boyfriend tonight. I guarantee he’s not asleep. He cried when he found out you were missing. At least let him know you’re okay.”
“Yes, sir, I will,” Kelly said.
As Paula pulled her daughter close, she saw Mercy watching them and remembered something from their past. “Mercy, do you remember the night you asked me what it was like to have a mother?”
“No,” Mercy said.
“Well, I do. I also remember what I was thinking when you asked me. I thought that of the two of us, you were the lucky one. Yes, you were shipped from house to house, and often going from bad to worse, but for you, there was always the hope that the next one might be better. For me, I was trapped. They were my parents, and I had nowhere else to go. I guess I’m telling you this now because I wanted to say it then and didn’t. If you’re holding onto any regrets from your youth, let them go. That was then, and this is now. Possibilities abound.”
Mercy glanced at Lon then quickly looked away. He was her possibility. Only time would tell how it all played out, but right now, he was her hope. He was the expectation for a happier life. He was the one who might actually learn to love her.
“Thank you for saying that,” Mercy said. “I hope there are no hard feelings between us.”
“Oh, honey, of course not,” Paula said, and gave her a hug. “I told you when we ran into each other last year that seeing you grown up and living your life rid me of so much guilt.”
“Good,” Mercy said. “I was torn about telling. Almost felt like I was ratting you out or something, but I thought since we both knew why Kelly ran, you wouldn’t hold it against me.”
“Exactly,” Paula said. “Chief Pittman, it was a pleasure to meet you, and I appreciate the way you went about this. I have several clients who are lawyers, and a couple who are cops. I’ll call in the morning and find out the best way to go about filing charges against my parents for Kelly’s abuse. When all of this mess finally goes to court, I will have representation.”
“I don’t know if it will matter, but I would be happy to testify against them, if it comes t
o a trial,” Mercy said.
Paula took a deep shaky breath. “Even after I left you with them, knowing what they were like?”
“Even after,” Mercy said, unaware she’d just taken a step closer to Lon as she said it.
“Don’t worry about me, Chief Pittman. I’m going to be eighteen a month after the baby is born,” Kelly said. “My place of residence will no longer be anyone’s business but my own, right?”
Lon nodded. “You did your research, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
Lon shook Paula’s hand and smiled at Kelly. “We’ll be leaving now, so you can get back to bed. I’ll be in touch.”
Paula walked them to the door, waiting on the threshold until they were in their car and driving away, before she locked the front door and reset the alarm.
Kelly was shaking. “I’m sorry, Paula. I messed this up.”
Paula pulled her close. “Sweetheart, I am the master of messing up. We’ll figure this out together. Just know you’ll never sleep under their roof again. Now let’s go back to bed. You have a text to send, and I have an eight o’clock appointment with a client.”
She turned out the lights in the foyer and walked her daughter back up the stairs.
* * *
“You were amazing,” Lon said as he turned to the left at the end of the driveway and headed north.
“Thank you,” Mercy said. “I was a little nervous, but it turned out okay.”
“It sure did, honey. You made a good deputy. I might have to pin a badge on you next time.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want there to be a next time like this.”
“Agreed,” he said. “It’s this way back to the interstate, right?”
She nodded.
He drove until he reached a main road that he recognized. Now he knew where he was, but before they started back home, he wanted to refuel. When he saw an all-night gas station up ahead, he pointed. “I’m going to stop there and refuel before we head home.”
When she realized what part of the city they were in, she frowned.
“Just a warning. It’s not the best part of Savannah, so pay attention to who’s coming and going as you refuel.”
“I will, and thank you.”
“I’m going to make a quick trip to the ladies’ room while you’re pumping gas.”
Lon moved to the right turn lane, drove off the street and up to the pumps, then parked and killed the engine. He noticed a trio of motorcycles parked in the shadows on the far side of the building and frowned, wondering why they’d chosen to park there instead of up front in the lights, then noticed the security cameras pointed only toward the pumps. And then it hit him. This would be the perfect scenario for a robbery, if they didn’t want anyone to ID their rides.
And Mercy had gone inside.
He started to swipe the credit card to gas up and then stopped. Every instinct he had said trouble could be brewing. He needed to see if there was a back exit, and he needed to get Mercy back in his sight.
* * *
Mercy caught a glimpse of three men near the register as she looked for the restroom location. And then she saw the biker logo on the back of the biggest man’s jacket and knew she was trapped.
It was Big Boy.
If she turned around and tried to walk out, he’d see her for sure. Maybe if she just kept walking, they’d be gone when she came out.
She hurried down a long narrow hall and into the ladies’ room, locking the door behind her, then used the bathroom in haste, not wanting to be there any longer than necessary. She washed her hands, glanced at her reflection, and then said a quick prayer that the bikers would be gone.
She was halfway up the hall when she heard the door to the men’s room open. She pivoted quickly, and her heart sank. Big Boy was behind her with an ugly smile on his face and a knife in his hands. She didn’t hesitate as she turned and ran, screaming while looking for some kind of weapon.
When she saw a display of big plastic jugs with handles, she knew what it was and knew it was heavy. Granulated de-icer. She reached, grabbing the handle on the jug as she ran past, and was almost at the end of the aisle when he got close enough to grab a fistful of her hair. He yanked, bringing her to a painful, skidding halt. Without missing a beat, she swung the jug up and then backward with all the force she could muster. It hit between his legs on the down swing, and hit so hard she heard something pop. The biker let out a shriek then grabbed his crotch with both hands as he dropped to his knees.
She saw movement from the corner of her eye and looked up. Lon ran into the store with his gun drawn, then she saw the other two bikers come running up behind Lon. One had a gun, the other a knife.
“Lon! Behind you!” she screamed, and then heard Big Boy trying to get to his feet, so she swung the jug against his head.
He went down as Lon pivoted and fired.
Chapter 19
After learning the back exit was locked, Lon turned and ran to the front. The cash register was open and empty, and to his horror, he saw Mercy running and screaming through the glass storefront, and then the man she was running from. He ran inside just as the biker grabbed her by the hair. With all the shelving between them, he ran with his weapon drawn.
“Police! Let her go. Get down on the floor, or I’ll shoot!” he yelled, but the man suddenly screamed, turned loose of her hair, and dropped out of sight.
Before he had time to find out what had happened, he heard footsteps running up behind him. He was in the act of turning around when Mercy screamed, “Behind you!”
He spun into a crouch, with his gun aimed, and saw one man with a knife and the other a handgun, both less than six yards away. “Police! Drop your weapons!” he shouted, but they didn’t slow down.
With only a couple of yards left before they took him down, he shot the armed man in the leg and the other in the shoulder.
They dropped at his feet, screaming and moaning, as he quickly removed their weapons. He handcuffed the shoulder shot first and the leg wound second, before he stood and looked for Mercy, but he couldn’t see her. “Mercy!”
“I’m here,” she said as she stood. “Just making sure this loser doesn’t get up and run.”
He circled the end of the aisle, coming toward her on the run. He saw a man laid out on the floor as he took her in his arms and ran his hands on her shoulders, on her neck, on her face. “Are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
“Not enough to count,” she muttered, and when Big Boy seemed to be regaining consciousness, she swung the jug of de-icer at his head one last time. He was out.
“Damn, remind me never to tick you off,” Lon said, and gave her a swift, hard kiss. “Honey, there’s a landline at the checkout. Use it to call 911 because it will register this address. Tell them there was an attempted robbery and a cop is on the scene. Tell the dispatcher there are three down, and at this time, the cop is searching for the missing clerk.”
She ran toward the register as he raced past the counter into the office. It didn’t take Mercy long to deliver the message, and when she heard Big Boy moaning, she grabbed a roll of duct tape from beneath the counter and ran back his way.
The moment Big Boy saw her coming, he curled up on his side and covered his crotch. “Don’t hit me again. Don’t hit me again.”
“Shut up. Put your hands behind your back and grab your belt, or I will make you sorry.”
“I’m already sorry I ever saw your damn face,” he said, and rolled onto his belly and grabbed the back of his belt with both hands.
Mercy got down on one knee, pinning his head and shoulders to the floor, as she wrapped his wrists with gray duct tape until she was satisfied he couldn’t break free.
“It’s too tight!” he screamed. “Loosen it. My fingers are going numb.”
“Then you better pray the cops get here fast beca
use I don’t give a damn how miserable you are. You’re a worthless piece of shit, and everything that’s happened, you brought on yourself.”
Big Boy groaned and dropped his head to the floor, wincing when it hit with a thud.
Mercy could hear Lon’s footsteps moving around in the back and yelled out, “Are you okay? Did you find the clerk?”
“Yes and yes. Call back, and tell them the cop says to send one more ambulance.”
Mercy hurried back to the phone, delivered the message, and then stood near the door waiting for the police. It wasn’t more than a couple of minutes before she heard sirens, and then two police cars pulled up to the station in a skid and got out on the run with their guns drawn.
She held up her hands as they ran in. “I’m Mercy Dane. I’m the one who called this in. Two of the robbers are at your feet, and one more is taped up toward the back of the room beside the soda fountain. The cop is in the office. He just found the clerk and had me call for one more ambulance.”
The cops scattered. One headed toward the office while the other one began getting names. Two more cop cars arrived and before long, Mercy stood behind the counter just to stay out of the way. When she saw a mobile news crew pull up in a van, she realized this was likely to end up on tomorrow’s morning broadcast.
Lon came out of the back room with blood all over his hands and shirt. He picked up a roll of paper towels from beneath the counter and wiped himself off.
When she saw his hands shaking, she ran to him. “What happened?” she asked.
“They knifed the clerk. I don’t know if he’s going to make it.”
She saw the tension on his face, wanted to hug him, but didn’t understand this part of him enough to get too close. “I’m sorry.”
His voice shook as he tossed the dirty towels in the trash. “And I’m sorry to say my first thought was I’m glad it was him and not you.”
“Lon…stop,” she said, and wrapped her arms around his waist, and then laid her cheek against his chest.