by Wilder, L.
“I’ll get by there today.” While I had a moment with her, I decided to use the opportunity to tell her, “I went by the Strayhorn home yesterday.”
“Oh? And how did that go?”
I shrugged. “Not as well as I’d hoped. The kids were clearly sick, but neither of the parents were home.”
“So, you weren’t able to check out the premises?”
“No.” I sighed with frustration. “And now they’ll know I’m coming and will be more prepared for the visit.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” A grimace marked her face. “You never can tell with people these days, but I’m really hoping you can get a handle on things over there. They’ve had one too many calls, and it’s time for them to get their act together.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
“I’ve got some calls to make.” As she stood up and started down the hall, she continued, “Just let me know if you need anything.”
“You know I will!”
I turned my attention back to the Coburn file and tried to familiarize myself with all the basic details of the case. As I started reading, I saw that the father’s full name was Christopher Coburn. At thirty-two, he’d already been divorced twice, and there was no mention of Katie’s mother anywhere. From what I could tell, she hadn’t been in the picture since Katie was born, so I assumed it was just the two of them. I took note of the police report, which stated that Mr. Coburn had been suspected of selling marijuana in his neighborhood, and he’d also been detained for a domestic dispute with an old girlfriend. None of it was anything new. In the few short months I’d been working there, I’d handled over twenty cases, and more than half of the parents struggled with some kind of addiction. It was a sad reality of the times, but I couldn’t give up hope that I could help the children I worked with have a better life.
After I finished taking down some notes, I called the counselor at Katie’s school to let her know I was coming to meet with them; then, I grabbed my things and walked back out to my car. Before I left, I took out my phone and dialed the number to the animal clinic. It rang several times before the answering machine picked up. Having no other choice, I left a quick message, asking them to please return my call. Once I hung up, I plugged the school’s address into my phone’s GPS and was on my way. Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to Berclair Elementary, one of the older schools in the city. Even though it wasn’t as fancy as some of the newer schools, it had a lot of character and was very well-maintained. The lawn was mowed, the shrubs trimmed, and unlike most schools in the city, there was very little litter to be seen. I got out of my car and started up the sidewalk leading to the front door.
The secretary buzzed me in, and after she checked my credentials and had me sign in, she escorted me down to the counselor’s office. I spoke with her for a few minutes, making sure that she didn’t have anything new to share with me, and then I went to wait for Katie in the conference room. It was a small room, just large enough for a round table and a few chairs, with a window and a pretty picture of a pond on the wall. I pulled out one of the chairs, then sat down, and just as I was getting settled, Katie appeared in the doorway.
I quickly stood up and walked over to her, smiling. “Hi. You must be Katie.”
“Yes, ma’am, I am.”
“I’m Ms. Dawson.” Katie was a beautiful little girl—even more so than her picture in the case file. Her shoulder-length curly hair offset her adorable round cheeks and gorgeous hazel eyes. With her mismatched clothes, she reminded me of Janice, one of my best friends when I was a little girl. I always loved the fact that Janice was brave enough to wear whatever she wanted without worrying what others thought, and I found myself wondering if Katie was the same way. Her eyes filled with worry as she listened to me say, “I’m from the Department of Child Services, and if it’s okay with you, I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes.”
“Umm … okay.”
“Great. Let’s have a seat.” I led her over to the table, and once she was seated, I sat down next to her. “You’re in sixth grade, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Your counselor, Mrs. Tate, said you were a good student. What’s your favorite subject?”
“Math, I guess.” Her voice was soft, almost a whisper as she said, “I really like Mrs. Kail.”
“That’s great. I was never very good at math, but I was pretty good at reading and science.” I wanted to give her a few minutes to warm up to me before I dug into the hard stuff, so I asked, “What about your classmates? Do you have a lot of friends?”
“I have a few. Stacey and Isabel are my best friends.” She paused for a moment, then asked, “Are you here about my father … and what I told Mrs. Tate?”
Her question caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting her to bring the matter up so quickly. In fact, I figured it would take a lot of coaxing to even get her to talk about it. I hoped it was a sign as I answered, “Actually, I am. Would you mind if we talked about what’s been going on?”
“I don’t know,” her voice trembled as she spoke. “He’s gonna get really mad when he finds out that I told her what happened.”
“I’m guessing you knew that when you went to see Mrs. Tate, so why did you tell her?”
“’Cause I want it to stop,” she answered adamantly. “I love my dad, but I don’t like it when he drinks. It scares me.”
“How so?”
“He gets really angry. Throws things and says all these bad words, especially to Casey.”
“Who’s Casey?”
“She’s his girlfriend. She moved in with us a few months ago.” In hopes that Katie would tell me more, I didn’t respond. Instead, I remained silent, and it wasn’t long before she continued, “When they fight, it makes him mad, and he starts drinking.”
“I see.” I paused for a moment, then asked, “What do you do when all this is going on?”
“I don’t like to be around him when he’s like that, so I go to my room and hide.” Her expression grew even more somber as she muttered, “But sometimes he comes to get me. Usually, when he needs to go to the store or something.”
“What happens then?”
“He wants me to breathe into that machine so he can start his car. I try to tell him I don’t want to do it, but he won’t listen. He just gets really mad and makes me do it anyway.” Tears filled her eyes as she continued, “He’s not a good driver when he’s been drinking. He can’t stay on the road, and I’m always afraid he’s gonna hit somebody.”
“So, you’ve been with him when he’s driving under the influence?”
“Yes, ma’am. He always makes me go with him in case something goes wrong.”
Hearing the anguish in her voice made my chest tighten. “I can see why it would scare you.”
“He doesn’t mean it. He wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose.”
“I’m sure he wouldn’t, but the fact remains that he shouldn’t be drinking and driving, especially with his young daughter in the car.” Once my words sank in, Katie turned to look out the window, making me fear that she might start crying. “None of this is your fault, Katie. Your father is an adult, and he knows what he’s doing is wrong.”
“I know, but he’s my dad.”
“All the more reason for him to do the right thing.” I leaned towards her as I explained, “You’re a great kid, Katie, but even if you weren’t, it’s a parent’s responsibility to take care of their children and make sure they’re safe. It’s my job to make sure your father is doing that with you, and from the sound of it, he isn’t.”
“So, what’s going to happen?”
“I’m not sure just yet,” I answered honestly. “I’ll need to talk to your father, and hopefully, he and I will be able to come up with a plan.”
“But what if you don’t?”
Trying my best not to scare her even more, I replied, “Let’s not cross that bridge until we get there. For now, try not to worry. I know that’s easier said than done, but I’m going to d
o everything I can to make things better for you and your dad.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll try to get in touch with him today so we can get this thing resolved sooner than later.”
“Good,” she replied, sounding slightly relieved.
“While I’ve really enjoyed talking to you, I better let you get back to class.” I stood up, and she followed me to the door. “It was very nice meeting you, Katie.”
“It was nice meeting you, too, Ms. Dawson.” As she started down the hall, she glanced back with a smile and waved. “Bye.”
“Bye, Katie.”
Once she was gone, I went back to the table and grabbed my things, then after signing out in the office, I walked back to my car. I checked my phone for any missed messages, and yet again, there was nothing. On any other day, I might’ve let my mind wander into a land of negative thoughts and doubts, but I was too busy with work to let that happen. I needed to get over to the Strayhorn home to see about things there, and as soon as I was done there, I had to get back to the office so I could call Mr. Coburn. I wasn’t looking forward to either task, but the thought of seeing either Fiona or Joseph helped motivate me to leave the school’s parking lot and head in their direction. Their house was on the opposite side of town, and with lunch-hour traffic, it took me almost an hour to get there. When I pulled up, there was an old, four-door car parked in the driveway, so I took that as a sign that someone was actually home.
With my satchel in hand, I rushed up to the front door and knocked. Moments later, a woman with long wavy hair and coal-black eyes, wearing her bathrobe, opened the door. She was the perfect mix between Fiona and Joseph, leaving me no doubt that she was their mother. “Yes?”
“Hi. My name is Landry Dawson.” I lifted my ID, showing it to her as I asked, “Are you Aniya Strayhorn?”
“Yes. What can I do for you?”
“I’m from the Department of Child Services. I’m here about a call we received regarding the children in the home,” I replied.
“What kind of call?”
She was playing dumb, like she’d never been through this kind of thing before, but I wasn’t buying it. “Actually, it was more than one call. It seems there are several people who are concerned that your children aren’t getting the proper care.”
“What the hell are you talking about? I take care of my kids!” she argued.
“Okay. Well, here’s a chance for you to prove that.” Hoping to keep her from losing her temper, I kept my voice calm and nonthreatening. “I just need to ask you a few questions and have a quick look around.”
I could see the wheels turning in her head as she stood there mulling over what I’d said. After several moments, she let out a slow, defeated breath. “Give me a minute.”
She closed the door in my face, leaving me alone on the porch. It wasn’t a good sign. A messy house was one thing, but something told me there was more than just a few dirty socks on the floor or trash that needed to be collected. Unfortunately for her, it would take more than a couple of minutes to hide all the secrets she had lurking in that house. One minute rolled into the next, and I was starting to grow impatient. Hoping for a distraction, I reached into my bag for my phone, and when I checked the screen, I was pleased to see that the clinic had left me a voicemail. As I listened to it, I was relieved to hear Duchess had no broken bones, just some heavy bruising, and would be cleared to go home later in the afternoon or early the following morning. At that moment I realized I had to figure out what I was going to do with her. As much as I wanted to keep her, I couldn’t. My apartment didn’t allow pets, and even if it did, my place was simply too small for a dog her size.
I was trying to come up with some options when the front door opened and Aniya appeared. The bathrobe was gone, and now she wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She opened the door a little wider as she told me, “Come on in.”
I nodded, then followed her into the living room. Like I’d noticed the day before, the furniture in the room was sparse, but clean. I turned my attention back to Aniya. Her unwelcoming glare was a little intimidating, but I did my best not to let it get to me as I asked, “Do you mind if I take a quick look around?”
“Just do what ya gotta do.”
It was clear from her demeanor that she wasn’t happy about me being there. I couldn’t blame her. It was definitely an invasion of privacy, especially for the innocent, but I had to be sure that the kids were safe. She stood rigid, skeptically watching as I entered the kitchen and jotted a few notes down on my clipboard. Again, there wasn’t much to it, just your basics with a small table in the corner, but it was clean. After I checked the bathroom, I went back into the living room with Aniya. “Where do the children sleep?”
“Upstairs.” As she pointed to the staircase, she explained, “Joseph and Thomas are in the bedroom to the left, and Fiona is on the right.”
“What about Denise and Phillip?”
“They moved out a few months ago.” They were only seventeen, so technically they were her and her husband’s responsibility. I was about to ask her about it when she continued, “We had a disagreement about them both dropping out of school, and since then, they’ve been staying with my mother.”
“Oh … So, they both dropped out?”
“I tried to tell them it was a mistake, but they wouldn’t listen.” I wanted to take it as a good sign that she’d tried to talk them out of it, but after reading their case file, it was still hard to tell. “You know how kids can be.”
“Yes, ma’am. I do.”
As I headed up the stairs, I didn’t see any sign of the kids, so I assumed they were at school. I was wrong. When I opened the door to Fiona’s room, I found her lying down on the bed. The walls were painted a deep purple, and over the old wooden plank floor, there was a small round rug. There were a few stuffed animals scattered amongst several piles of clothes, but other than that, there wasn’t much else in the room. I stepped further into the room, and Fiona’s eyes lit up when she saw me walking towards her. “You’re back.”
“I am.” I smiled as I walked over to the edge of the bed. “So, what are you doing home today? I thought you had pre-school.”
“They made me come home.”
“Why’s that?”
“I had a fee-fer.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s no fun having a fever.” She started coughing, sounding even worse than she had the day before. Once she was done and had caught her breath, I said, “Sounds like you might need to go to the doctor.”
“I’ll be o-tay.”
Getting medical attention wasn’t something she could control, so I decided to change the subject. “I like your room. Purple is my favorite color.”
“Mine, too.” She lifted one of her stuffed animals, a tiny gray elephant with green eyes, as she said, “Bel-wa loves pur-pel, too.”
“Well, Bella has great taste.” Remembering her mother was waiting downstairs, I smiled and said, “I guess I better let you get some rest. I really do hope you get to feeling better soon.”
“I will.”
As much as I hated to leave her, I didn’t have a choice. I needed to check the other rooms upstairs before I spoke with Aniya. I left Fiona’s room and walked to the other bedroom. Inside, I found a set of bunk beds with several matchbox cars on the floor. Like Fiona’s room, there were clothes piled on the floor, and I wasn’t sure if they were dirty or clean, but I’d seen rooms in much worse condition. I wrote down a few more notes, then headed downstairs to speak with Fiona’s mother. When I got to the living room, she was sitting on the sofa with a concerned look in her eyes. “I know what you’re thinking.”
Having no idea what she was talking about, I didn’t respond. Instead, I waited for her to continue. “I know this place isn’t much, but I’m doing the best I can. Things have been really tough lately, and I’ve made some mistakes … but I want you to know, I love my kids. I’d never do anything to intentionally hurt them.”
I wanted to beli
eve her, I truly did, but I’d read the file. I knew I wasn’t the first DCS agent to visit the Strayhorn home. There had been too many calls made to our office about this family, and it was time to get some answers—some real answers. “If that’s true, I’m going to need you to be open and honest with me. I need to know what’s really going on here. If you can do that, then maybe we can find a way to make things better … not just for the kids, but for you and your husband as well.”
Her expression softened as she replied, “Okay, I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
As I sat there looking at her, I noticed something hidden behind her pretty hazel eyes. This woman wasn’t just carrying around old memories of heartbreak and disappointment, it was more than that. Something had happened in her life that had broken her, and I wasn’t sure she even knew exactly how broken she really was. With my satchel in hand, I stood up, and as I slipped the strap over my shoulder, I smiled and said, “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”
CHAPTER 5
Prospect
My father was always big into life’s little lessons. He’d say there wasn’t any situation, good or bad, in our lives from which we couldn’t learn something. Maybe I was too young or just too damn blind, but I never really got it. Whenever I was pissed off or aggravated, I never saw it as anything more than that. I certainly didn’t think about it being an opportunity for me to learn something about patience or tolerance. It was no different when I felt alone or abandoned. While I would want to wallow in self-pity, my dad would try to tell me it was life’s way of teaching me how to stand on my own two feet. From being flat-ass broke to winning the fucking lottery, he truly believed that there was a lesson in everything, but I thought it was all bullshit until the day my life completely crumbled around me.
At first, I was too wrapped up in my own world to see it, but as I worked to put the pieces of my life back together, I started to feel stronger, more confident in the choices I’d made. I hadn’t done it on my own. The brothers of Satan’s Fury had taught me to push through the hard times and not give up, and eventually, I’d find myself on the other side. With them, I’d found the life I really wanted, one that I was willing to fight for. I just had to prove to them and myself that I had what it took to earn a Satan’s Fury patch. It was one of the reasons why I’d gotten to work early that morning. I wanted to get Riggs’s bike up and running before the rest of the guys came in, so it wouldn’t interfere with all the other jobs I needed to finish. No such luck. I was still draining the fuel lines when T-Bone walked up behind me.