A Child's Gift

by Linda Warren

  “The neighbor said Darlene left about four and the little boy wasn’t with her. The police are talking to all the neighbors and gathering information. One lady said that Darlene did really well the first few months after she moved in. She waited with Dusty for his school bus and then she caught the Metro bus to work. She often took him to the park and everything seemed fine until some friends of hers started coming around. They saw her leave several times without Dusty. They just assumed she’d left him with a sitter.”

  “Why didn’t they check? He’s just a little boy.”

  “They didn’t want to get involved.”

  “Where was CPS? They were supposed to be checking on her and Dusty.”

  “They contacted CPS and talked to the worker who handles the case. She said she’d been trying to contact Darlene for a month and every time she’s had an excuse like she had to work or take Dusty to the doctor. She was going to make a surprise visit this week.”

  “This week? That’s a little too late.”

  “Yeah. CPS dropped the ball on this one.”

  “Dusty’s out there all alone looking for food just like he was when I first met him at the bakery all those months ago.” Unable to sit any longer Rico got to his feet. “Why did they contact you?”

  “The sergeant asked the caseworker if she knew who Rico was because Dusty was asking for you and she told him you were the guy who was keeping him while Darlene was in prison. She remembered you were from Horseshoe and the sergeant on the case is from Horseshoe, so he called me.”

  “Oh, man.” Rico ran his hands up his face in despair. “Wyatt, I can’t go through this again.”

  “I know, and I don’t blame you. They’ll find Dusty and he’ll go into foster care. Darlene Miller’s not going to get a third chance. I can almost guarantee you that. It’s your choice and I’ll support you any way you choose.”

  Rico frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  Wyatt cleared his throat. “The sergeant asked if I could locate you and get you to come to Austin to help in the search for Dusty. He wanted someone Dusty cared about to be there when they find him.”

  Rico stared down at the worn linoleum squares in Wyatt’s office. Invisible tracks of time and the people who had been through this office were visible on the old floor. He glanced out to the waiting area where Ana had sat with Dusty as he was drinking milk like it was his last meal. From that moment on Dusty had owned a part of his heart.

  “I know how you feel about foster care,” Wyatt said. “But Dusty will do fine until they find a relative or someone to adopt him.”

  Would he? Dusty needed someone who cared about him and Rico and Ana cared deeply for the boy. He should talk to Ana, but she had a lot of her plate with her mom facing heart surgery. He had to make this decision on his own.

  Wyatt’s phone rang. “It’s the sergeant. Maybe he has some news.” Wyatt talked for a minute and then held his hand over the receiver. “They canvassed the neighborhood and haven’t found him and they haven’t found Darlene Miller, either. Are you willing to help? It’s your choice.”

  He really didn’t have a choice. His conscience didn’t give him one. “Tell the sergeant I’m on my way.”

  Wyatt hung up and pushed a piece of paper across the desk. “That’s the sergeant’s number. As soon as you reach Austin call him and a patrol car will escort you to the apartment complex.”

  “Thanks, Wyatt.”

  Wyatt stared at him for a moment. “You’re doing the right thing.”

  Rico stuffed the paper in his pocket. “After what happened today, I can’t heap this on Anamarie, too. She loves Dusty and I need to know that he’s okay before I tell her.”

  “Then wait until you get back.”

  Rico nodded and walked out.

  In his truck he pulled out his phone and called Peggy’s number. “Can I speak to Anamarie, please.”

  “Rico, where are you?” Ana’s anxious voice came on. “You said you were coming.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m going to be late.” They were the only words Rico had for the situation facing him.

  “No, Rico, please don’t do this. She’s an old woman and she just wants to say she’s sorry for the way she’s treated you.”

  Her voice weakened and so did he, but he knew what he had to do. “I just need a little time. That’s all I’m asking.”

  “Just come to the hospital and we’ll talk through it. Just you and me like we always do. Please, Rico, don’t shut me out again. Don’t shut my family out.”

  “You just have to give me some time. I’ll call you in a couple of hours. I promise. Trust me.”

  “Rico...”

  He ended the call and headed for the highway, his heart breaking at what he’d just done.

  * * *

  RICO HAD HAULED a lot of cattle for Rebel Ranch and he knew shortcuts to I-35 that went into Austin. He’d gone about a mile down the interstate when his phone buzzed. It was Wyatt. Maybe they’d found Dusty.

  “What’s up?” he said into the phone.

  “I gave a state trooper the description and license plate of your truck and he’s going to come up on you in a few minutes. He’ll pass and then get in front and lead you into Austin. Once you’re in Austin a police car will take over. Sergeant Chisholm will be waiting.”

  “Thanks, Wyatt. I owe you.”

  “Paid in full, Rico. Paid in full.”

  He didn’t have time to think as he noticed a highway patrol car in his rearview mirror. It passed him just as Wyatt had said and then switched lanes to get in front of him. The man motioned with his hand as if to say “Let’s go.” And go they went. Fast, the siren blaring all the way into Austin. The traffic was heavy, but when people heard the siren they slowed down and pulled over to let the patrol car through. Rico kept his focus on the car and tried not to think about Ana or what he was going to find at the end of the trip.

  When they reached the city limits, the patrolman waved and switched lanes to let Rico through. A white Austin police car was waiting. He turned his siren on just as the patrolmen had and they had no problem navigating the heavy traffic. They crossed the Congress Avenue Bridge and then they turned left. Rico lost track of the streets as he followed the car through a maze of apartment complexes.

  The police car stopped at an apartment complex on the right. Police cars were everywhere. Some officers had spotlights as they searched the grounds for Dusty. As Rico got out of his truck the cold north wind whipped around him. He reached for his jacket and slipped into it. Dusty was out in this weather without a jacket and at that moment he wanted to strangle Darlene Miller.

  An officer in a dark blue uniform and heavy jacket walked up to him and held out his hand. “Sergeant Cole Chisholm.”

  “Jericho Johnson.” He shook the officer’s gloved hand. “Thanks for the escort service. We made it in record time. Any news?”

  Sergeant Chisholm shook his head. “We’ve canvassed the neighborhood and gone door-to-door talking to people. Several people saw him playing on the stairs, but after that no one has seen him. No one is lingering outside today. We called his name over and over and got no response.”

  “Have you located Darlene Miller?”

  “No, but we will. She has a lot to answer for. The electricity was turned off yesterday at 4:00 p.m. They had no heat last night, but lots of blankets were on the beds. There were no sheets, though, and no food in the house. We put a police lock on the door and will come back tomorrow to take pictures. We weren’t able to do that tonight because of the darkness.”

  “I don’t understand how she could leave him all alone without food or heat. She was supposedly off drugs and wanted to raise her son.” But then he did understand. His mother had left him the same way. Addiction was a powerful thing and it overrode every emotion a person had. That didn’t excuse Darlene or help the situation.
It was just tragic. Because of the weather, finding Dusty now was a life-or-death situation.

  “I think she’s been in a downward spiral for the last month according to the information we discovered. She hasn’t been at work this week and Dusty hasn’t been in school for three days.”

  “Did the school contact CPS?”

  “Since it’s Saturday, we couldn’t reach anyone at the school. We have a call in to the principal, but he’s away for the weekend. He should hear something soon, though. But a neighbor whose little boy catches the bus with Dusty said he hadn’t been at the bus stop for three days.”

  Rico couldn’t think about what Dusty had been through. It was too painful. He just wanted to find him. “What do you want me to do?” Rico asked. “He needs to be found and fast.”

  “We haven’t had much luck calling his name and I thought if you did he might respond if he’s hiding somewhere.”

  “Let’s go,” Rico said as he stepped up on the curb.

  “Hold on,” the sergeant said as his phone lit up. Rico could only hear the sergeant’s side. “We’ll be right there.”

  “What happened?” Rico asked.

  “He’s been spotted at a convenience store two blocks from here. Follow me.”

  Rico jumped back into his truck and followed the police car around the corner and pulled into a small convenience store. He was out of his truck before it came to a complete stop and ran into the store followed by the sergeant. An Indian man met them.

  The sergeant showed the man a photo of Dusty. “Is this the kid who was in here?”

  “Yes, yes. That’s him. He put a penny on my counter for a bag of potato chips. He looked hungry so I let him keep them. But I asked him ‘Where’s your mother?’ He said he didn’t know. Then he says to me ‘Would you call Rico and tell him to come get me?’ Then I saw Amber alert on TV.” He pointed to the TV behind the counter. “It was him and I told him I would call Rico. I called police and when I turned around he was gone. I looked all over store, and he’s not here.”

  “Didn’t you hear the Amber alert earlier?” the sergeant asked.

  “I heard it on TV, but I didn’t pay much attention because I was busy. It’s Saturday and kids from neighborhood come in for candy and sodas. I have to watch them ’cause they steal.”

  “How long ago was he here?” The sergeant kept firing questions.

  “I called right away. Maybe ten minutes. You came fast.”

  “A little boy’s out in this weather, lost,” the sergeant reminded him.

  “Yes, yes, yes.”

  The sergeant spoke to the officer behind him. “I want every inch of the store searched.” And then he spoke into a mic on his shoulder. “The boy is ten minutes out from the convenience store. Spread out and start searching using the store as a radius.”

  The sergeant then turned to the clerk. “Do the security cameras work?” He looked up at the cameras in each corner.

  “Yes, they do.”

  “View the footage,” he said to another officer. “And see if anyone is around the kid as he leaves the store.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Rico and the sergeant walked outside into the dark night. Streetlights were on each corner, but otherwise it was very dark and very cold. Dusty was out there all alone and scared.

  “It’s very strange that he leaves a penny for the food he takes,” the sergeant remarked.

  “His grandmother had custody of him while Darlene was in prison and she told him that you have to pay for what you get. He’s very serious about paying for what he gets.” He told the sergeant how he’d met Dusty. “After his grandmother’s death, my fiancée tried to explain to him that you don’t pay for a gift and we were making progress until the judge ordered him back to his mother.” His gut still tightened at the thought.

  “You care a lot for that little boy.”

  “My fiancée and I got really attached to him. He’s such a good kid and he doesn’t deserve this.”

  “We’ll find him.”

  But would it be in time?

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  ANAMARIE’S MOTHER’S SURGERY went well and she was resting in recovery. But she had obsessed for almost an hour about Rico before the nurses came to take her to surgery. Then her older sister Teresa and her husband arrived as did her brother Frank and his wife.

  The whole family waited outside the recovery room. All Ana could think was where was Rico? It wasn’t like him to be so stubborn and unforgiving. But her mother had been very cruel to him. But—there was always that but. If Rico couldn’t accept her mother into their lives, what kind of future did that leave them? Yet he never hesitated in helping her mother. So why wasn’t he here? Questions went round and round in her head, but the answers eluded her.

  * * *

  THE OFFICERS DID a thorough job of checking the convenience store and the surrounding area. Rico ran down the street calling Dusty’s name with no results. The boy seemed to have disappeared once again.

  When Rico was about to lose hope, the sergeant got a call. Dusty was spotted at a Metro bus stop. Rico followed the sergeant’s patrol car back toward the apartment complex. The big bus was stopped on the street and cars were going around it. Officers were directing traffic as the sergeant had ordered the bus not to leave. The driver and a woman stood outside.

  “What happened?” the sergeant asked as they walked up to them.

  “That kid that’s on the Amber alert—I saw him,” the driver said, his shoulders hunched in a big coat.

  “Where?”

  “I stopped to pick up two people here.” He pointed to the bus bench. “And then this lady—” he pointed to the woman behind him “—came up to get on and a man grabbed her arm and started pulling her away and she started screaming. I got off the bus to see what was going on and if she needed help. The man told me to get out of his face. That’s when the kid walked up and asked if the bus went to Horseshoe. I was startled because he came out of nowhere. I asked him where his mother was and the man started shouting profanities at me. I realized I needed to call the cops. When I pulled out my phone, I saw the Amber alert. I turned around and the kid was gone.”

  “What about the man?”

  “He ran away when I pulled out my phone.”

  “Did the kid get on the bus?” Rico asked.

  The man shook his head. “No.”

  “Did you look?”

  “No. He was out here, not on the bus.”

  Rico got on the bus. He didn’t wait for permission. There were five people in seats on their phones and he showed them Dusty’s picture and they all said they hadn’t seen the boy. He searched every seat and every space on the bus and Dusty wasn’t there. He gritted his teeth. Damn! This would’ve been a place for him to get warm. Where was he?

  The sergeant was dealing with the driver who was complaining about his bus schedule. He was behind and he needed to go. Once again the officers were searching another area for Dusty and Rico’s hope of finding him was as cold as his hands in his pockets.

  “What do you think?” the sergeant asked.

  “Don’t let this bus leave,” Rico replied.

  “Why? The kid’s not on it.”

  “I know. I just have this feeling. Dusty and his mother used the Metro buses to go places and Dusty knows it will take him somewhere and he’s hoping it’s Horseshoe and home. He’s here. I know it. I can feel him.”

  “Mr. Johnson...”

  “He’s here, just give me a minute.”

  “Okay. What do you suggest?”

  “Get the people off the bus.”

  “Mr. Johnson, it’s cold outside and it seems like a big order when you didn’t find him the first time.”

  “Get the people off the bus. He’s afraid and he’s not going to come out with everyone around.”

  The
sergeant ordered everyone off the bus. There was a lot of grumbling, especially from the driver. Everyone huddled in their coats as they waited. Rico stepped back onto the bus and went down the aisle. The sergeant stood by the driver’s seat.

  “Dusty, Dusty, it’s Rico. I’m here. Dusty, can you hear me? Dusty, come out. Dusty!” Over and over he called his name going up and down the aisle with no results. Despair settled in his chest, but he wasn’t giving up. He looked toward the sergeant.

  “He’s not here, Mr. Johnson. I’m sorry.”

  “No. He’s here.”

  “Mr. Johnson, these people need to get back on the bus. They’re cold. And I can’t hold this bus much longer without good reason.”

  “Dusty!” He screamed the word and it bounced off the walls of the bus. “It’s Rico.”

  Nothing but silence answered him. He balled his hands into fists, not wanting to admit defeat. That would mean Dusty was still out there cold and afraid.

  “Mr. Johnson...”

  “Okay.” He turned toward the sergeant and as he did he heard something like a whimper. “Did you hear that?”

  The sergeant walked farther into the bus. “Yes. It sounded like a kitten or something.”

  “Dusty, where are you? It’s Rico.” Rico hurried toward the sound at the back of the bus and that’s when he saw him. He was crunched into a ball on the floor at the back of the last seat. He was like a part of the seat and no one had noticed him. “Come out, buddy.” Rico squatted and reached in to touch him. Dusty uncurled and flew into his arms.

  “Rico, Rico, Rico, Rico, Rico...” He sobbed on to Rico’s shoulder and he couldn’t stop saying Rico’s name. He was cold and his body trembled and Rico wanted to hurt Darlene Miller for what she’d done to her son.

  “Shh, shh.” He tried to calm him as he slipped out of his coat and wrapped it around him. The stuffed dog Rico had won for him at the carnival was held tightly in one arm. It was filthy, but Dusty wouldn’t let it go.

  “Rico, Rico, Rico...”

  “It’s okay, buddy. I’m here.” He stroked Dusty’s face as he continued to calm him. “It’s okay. I’m here.”