If I'm Found by Terri Blackstock

Author:Terri Blackstock
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2017-02-16T16:00:00+00:00

27

CASEY

We’re nearing the end of a big deadline for getting an order for five hundred UpDown Seats shipped to a major department store chain, and the machines have gone quiet, when I hear loud voices in the office. “You can’t think that I did this!”

“We just need to look over your children, Mr. Whittington. If you would show us someplace that we could go that’s private . . .”

I look at Trey and Alice. They’ve turned toward the office and are listening.

“But why do we have to do this here?”

“Because you’re not at home. We went by your house and no one was there. Please get your wife on the phone and have her bring your children here.”

Trey is the nosiest of the four of us in my department—even nosier than I am—so he walks to the doorway and peers into the front office area. He comes back a few minutes later. “I heard him on the phone with his wife. He said they’re from Child Protective Services. You were right, Alice.”

“They want to see the kids?” I ask. “Why?”

He shrugs, but just then, Cole comes bounding through the workroom with two female caseworkers on his heels. They go toward the break room. “I want to know who called you,” I hear him say.

“We’re not at liberty to give you that information.”

He stops at the break room door. “She fell right here, yesterday. She was skipping, and she slipped and hit her head right here on the door casing. There were multiple witnesses!”

“We just need to see her, Mr. Whittington. Where is your wife?”

“She’s on her way. I told you.”

“And she has the children with her?”

“Yes.”

We all try to go back to work, but none of us can ignore what’s going on in there. This could be dangerous. Someone at her preschool must have reported to them that she had the knot, and since her father is being charged with abuse, of course they had to take it seriously. But I saw this. I know he didn’t do anything wrong.

I abandon my work area and go to the break room, knock on the door. Cole looks up at me. “Yes, Miranda?”

“Um . . . I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help overhearing.” I look at the CPS workers. “I just wanted to say that I was in here when his daughter hurt herself yesterday. That’s exactly what happened. She was skipping and tumbled into the doorway. It was no big deal. She didn’t even cry for long.”

The women don’t look like they want to hear that. “Thank you. We’ll talk to you again if we need you.”

“Okay,” I say. “I’ll be right out here.”

In a few minutes, Cole’s wife comes in, clutching the hands of both of her daughters so tightly that her knuckles are white. Her face is ashen, and I can see the fear in her eyes. She goes into the break room, and the social worker closes the door behind her.

We all go back to work, whispering. “They’re

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.