Heart of a Runaway Girl by Trevor Wiltzen

Author:Trevor Wiltzen [Wiltzen, Trevor]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-01-09T22:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

Wednesday, October 15 to Thursday, October 16

The question of what to do about Larson haunted Mabel so much she hadn’t gotten any sleep over the past two days. At least she could do something to help Sarah with her son, she thought. When the motel cleaners had their scheduled shift, Mabel dropped by to check on her. Bernice, a regular, was on and confirmed Sarah had quit.

Mabel felt so awful she headed home, baked Sarah’s favorite pie, and then drove over to her place after lunch. Mabel rang the doorbell, and only Pete answered, and while he took the pie thankfully, he didn’t call Sarah to the door. “Can I speak to her?” Mabel asked, but he looked uncomfortable and said she wasn’t feeling well. She asked how Wade was doing, but Pete just thanked her again for the pie and said they were doing their best as a family and not to trouble them again.

Mabel left the porch wishing she could ease their shame somehow and thought about them for the rest of the day. She wrestled with telling Dan about the skinhead. While Sarah had made it clear that Dan already knew Larson’s men were selling crack cocaine, Mabel felt compelled to do something. When Dan showed up at the diner Thursday night to do his paperwork, Mabel brought him some pie and then questioned him about Wade as he was eating. Dan wasn’t in a good mood to begin with and he tried to explain that Larson was primarily into weed and that his boys were only selling crack on the side.

“And besides,” Dan had said, “I’d already told Larson selling crack would lead to jail time, and he promised he would look into it.”

“Yes, but—” Mabel had protested.

“Just stop! I keep telling you you’re sticking your neck into matters that are not your business!” Dan said, glancing around the diner before moderating his tone some, as he had caught some stares. “I mean it.”

“Well, I mean it too,” Mabel said, not lowering her voice. “That Winston boy has got no one else looking out for him. And you know what? You only arrested him after I said those things, and I wish to God I hadn’t. Look what’s it done.”

“It got the right man in jail is what I’m telling you.”

Mabel breathed out, frustrated she wasn’t getting through. “I feel just awful about this. Everyone thinks they got the right person because the man is black.”

Dan gave her a stern look. “You don’t know police work. Nine times out of ten, it’s the boyfriend or husband. You don’t need to be a detective to know that. And besides, you know I’m not like Frank or the boys. I don’t see his color like them.”

Mabel’s mood softened, as did her voice. “No. But most of the town does. I saw that justice system you talked about, and it didn’t seem all that fair to me.”

Dan looked at her for a moment, and then he eased back over his plate and took a bite of pie.

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