The Lost Ones by Ace Atkins

Author:Ace Atkins
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub, pdf
Tags: Mystery, Thriller, Azizex666
ISBN: 9780399158766
Publisher: Penguin
Published: 2012-05-30T04:00:00+00:00

25

ANNA LEE STOPPED BY THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE THE NEXT MORNING TO TELL Quinn that his sister had gone batshit crazy.

“Tell me something I don’t know.”

“She’s at Jason’s daycare right now and won’t leave.”

“Least she’s spending time with her son.”

“She called the woman who runs the place a Nazi Bitch.”

“Mrs. Shelton?”

“What it all boils down to is that Caddy thinks Jason is being treated differently.”

Quinn nodded, put down the morning reports, and stood up. Anna Lee looked as if she wanted to say more, Quinn knowing what she wanted to say, thinking: What the hell is the big deal?

“Treated differently because he’s a Methodist?”

“Son of a bitch, Quinn,” Anna Lee said. “You know what I’m saying. ’Cause he’s half black.”

“Holy shit,” Quinn said. “Which half?”

Anna Lee shook her head and frowned. “You can make fun of this all you want, but your sister is making quite a scene down there. She’s blocked the other parents from leaving the parking lot till she gets an apology.”

“Just what did Mrs. Shelton do again?”

“Quinn?” Anna Lee said.

“Yep.”

“It’s Caddy.”

“Ten-four.”

Quinn had brought Hondo to work with him that morning, and the cattle dog rode shotgun high up in the old truck, the doors creaking and shocks squeaking. The passenger window had stopped working, and a tractor had thrown up a rock last week, spiderwebbing part of his windshield.

Quinn put in a call to Boom, checking on that new truck. Boom didn’t answer. He tried his mother and got voice mail. He really didn’t want to handle this but figured putting a deputy on it would be cowardly.

True to what Anna Lee had said, Caddy’s Honda had blocked the entrance to the ABC Learning Center. Caddy was standing toe-to-toe with Mrs. Shelton, finger waving in her face, a lot of yelling. A dozen cars were backed up behind her. Mrs. Shelton nodded with Caddy, looking nervous and apologetic.

Quinn thought about hitting the flashers and trying out the siren.

Instead, he told Hondo to stay and approached the women, Quinn just catching the end of Caddy’s speech about Mrs. Shelton never wanting Jason in her school and the way she was always looking at him like he had some kind of disease.

“Morning,” Quinn said. “You think we might move this inside and let these people head on?’

“Do you know what this woman did?” Caddy asked.

“Hello, Mrs. Shelton,” Quinn said.

Mrs. Shelton took a long breath and closed her eyes. Caddy launched into a story about how Mrs. Shelton had divided the kids into different groups yesterday and made a big deal about how Jason was an African. She even had him point out parts of Africa on the map. “Can you believe that shit?” Caddy asked.

Mrs. Shelton shook her head and closed her eyes. She kept shaking her head.

“This is a traffic issue right now,” Quinn said. “Let’s work on that family issue somewhere else.”

“I’m not moving my car,” Caddy said. She crossed her arms across her chest and clenched her jaw. Old Mrs. Shelton had walked away, talking to the parents who were waiting in line, trying to get out.

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