My Heart Laid Bear (Blue Moon Junction) (8 page)

Clover leaned back in her chair and nursed an enormous cup of coffee. She ached pleasantly from her nocturnal activities. It was 10 a.m. and she was wondering if she could get away with a quick nap. She’d got into bed by 11 p.m. the night before but hadn’t fallen asleep for hours, replaying her time with Sam in her mind again and again like the best dirty movie ever.

The phone rang and Clover let out an enormous yawn before reaching to answer it. Imogen’s voice was high with panic.

“They’ve got Autumn!”

“Who has Autumn?” Clover sat bolt upright. She was wide awake now. Her stomach turned to water and she gripped the edge of her desk.

“The social services lady.  This morning after Autumn helped gather the eggs, she said she wanted to go for a run. Then I got a phone call from someone I know in town. He was out picking berries in the woods, and he saw two bears dragging a coyote into a station wagon that had a social services license plate.  One of them was that horrible Bonnie Rhoads character.”

“Oh, God. I’ll get Sam.” She hung up and ran next door to Sam’s office.

Sam looked up with a smile. “Good morning, sunshine. Miss me already?” Then he saw the look on her face. “What happened? One of the kids?”

“Autumn! Bonnie Rhoads has her!” Clover choked out. She quickly told him what had happened.

His face turned grim. “That’s bullshit. Go back to your office, I’m going to make some calls, we’ll straighten this out. Don’t worry. Really.”

Easy for him to say,
she thought as she walked back to her office on trembling legs and collapsed into her chair. She picked up her phone and tried to call Autumn, but it went straight to voicemail.

Sam rushed into her office minutes later. “Social Services also came to the camp and tried to take the rest of your family. We’re holding them off. We’ve got a lead on where Bonnie Rhoads is; she’s at a restaurant, but your sister isn’t with her at the moment. Let’s go.” Clover was already running out the door as he finished speaking.

Half an hour later, Clover and Sam and Sheriff Armstrong pulled up in front of a restaurant where Bonnie sat drinking coffee and talking on her cell phone. Clover noted with satisfaction that she had scratch marks on her neck, arms and face. Autumn hadn’t gone quietly.

When Bonnie saw them, she hastily hung up and stuffed her cell phone into her purse.

“Waitress!” she called, leaping to her feet.  “I need my check.”

“You’re not going anywhere,” Sheriff Armstrong said. “We’ve got your illegal abduction of a minor to discuss.”

“There was no abduction. We took her into our custody for her own protection.  How did you even find me here? This is harassment. Waitress! I haven’t got all day!”

The waitress, who was standing behind the counter taking an order from a customer, shot her an annoyed look. Then she returned her attention to the customer, ignoring Bonnie.

Loch scowled at her. “I know everyone in this county, and nobody can hide from me for long.”

Bonnie scrabbled in her purse, grabbed a five dollar bill and threw it on the table. “Keep the change!” she yelled at the waitress, and headed for the door. Sam moved in front of her and blocked her way.

“This is illegal, and I will be complaining to the authorities,” she said stiffly. “Move out of my way.”

“You’ve got three seconds to tell me where you took Autumn, or I’ll be cuffing you and putting you in my cruiser,” Loch said.

“We received a phone call reporting that the delinquent minor was trespassing on private property. When we arrived, we found that this was indeed the case, and at the request of the property owner, we removed the minor and took her into our custody. She will be evaluated and then placed in an appropriate home, where she will receive the discipline and structure that she needs.”

Clover felt her heart pounding in her chest, and thought she might faint. This couldn’t be happening.

Bonnie shot Clover a contemptuous look. “The Department of Children And Families has authorized my office to take the remaining three siblings into custody as well. I don’t know what kind of criminal, unauthorized lifestyle you are used to exposing children to where you come from, Miss Jones, but here in Blue Moon Junction we don’t tolerate that kind of behavior.”

Clover felt ill – but she knew what she had to do. She had to get her sister back, and  grab her siblings, and take them far, far away from Blue Moon Junction.

Sheriff Armstrong looked skeptical. “You’re telling me that somebody saw a teenager on their property and called the local DCF office instead of the sheriff’s office? Who was the property owner?” he demanded.

“As you know, all complaints to DCF are confidential.” Bonnie flashed a gloating smile.

“That doesn’t apply to law enforcement, only to the families of the children involved. The sheriff’s office routinely works with the DCF, especially when there’s a criminal complaint involved.”

“Given your obvious and surprising bias towards this family of criminals, I will not be providing you with any information,” Bonnie said primly. “And now, if you will excuse me, I am headed back to my office to file a complaint against you, and to move forward with taking the remaining minor siblings into custody. There will also be criminal charges issued against Miss Jones for neglect and failure to supervise a minor, of course.”

And she stepped around Sheriff Armstrong and marched towards the door.

“Tell me where my sister is!” Clover screamed, blinded by rage.  Fur shot through her skin and long, thick claws curved  from her fingertips.  She grew taller, feeling animal fury ripple through her body.  She exploded out of her clothes, and Bonnie did the same. Clover lunged at her, and the two bears rolled on the floor, roaring and growling, until Sam shifted and pulled them apart. The women turned human again and stood there, glowering at each other, with the shreds of their clothing hanging off their bodies.

“She assaulted me without provocation! Everybody saw it! Arrest her at once, if you want to keep your job!” Bonnie shouted at the sheriff. “I work for the state, and they will not tolerate this type of behavior.”

“I’m not arresting her. Something stinks about this, and I intend to find out what,” Sheriff Armstrong said to her.

Bonnie turned and stomped out, with the shreds of her clothing hanging off her, purse clutched in her hand and head held high.

Clover swallowed her panic and, blinking back tears, turned to Sam.    

“We’ve got to find her,” she said, her voice shaking.

“I swear to you, I will find her and bring her back,” Sam said. “And we’ll find out what the hell is going on here.”

“I need to go to the summer camp to be with my brother and sisters,” she said. “I’ll kill anyone who tries to take them from me. Please call me the minute you find out anything.”

* * *

Moonlight and Twilight sat on the bed in the motel room, looking out the window. They were two hours drive from Blue Moon Junction. Lennon sat gloomily tapping on his laptop, his shoulders hunched.

Autumn was looking in the mirror above the particleboard dresser and brushing glass out of her tangled hair. She’d escaped by climbing out the window of the bathroom at the DCF office, shifting, and running for it. Then she’d run into town, borrowed someone’s cell phone, and called Clover.

Clover had taken her three siblings and gone to pick up Autumn. They’d hastily packed their bags and headed out of town. Nobody was taking her family away from her ever again. She felt sick about leaving everyone behind, felt sick about leaving Sam, but nothing came before the safety of her brother and sisters.

Autumn turned back to look at Clover.  “I know this is all my fault,” she said. “You were all better off in Blue Moon Junction. You’re better off without me.”

“Are you insane?” Clover said, shocked. “It’s not your fault at all, and I am never leaving you.”

“You should.” Autumn went back to brushing her hair.

Clover wanted to ask Autumn why she’d felt the need to go for a run so far away from the boarding house, but she didn’t want Autumn to feel like she was blaming her for anything, so she decided that question could wait for later.

“So where are we going now?” Lennon asked, his voice resigned.

“I’ll decide in the morning. Far away from here,” Clover said glumly. Far away from Sam, far away from the possibility of building a new life here.

She’d left a note with Sam asking him to give her salary to Imogen to pay for their stay at the boarding house.  

“I guess I can’t be a security consultant now,” Lennon said glumly. “It’s too bad. I liked it.”

“Me too,” Moonlight said. “It was the first time in my life that I actually felt like I was helping people. It felt better than I expected.”

“You can be security consultants somewhere else,” Clover said, stricken. “You are still a bunch of criminal masterminds with hearts of gold, and don’t you forget it.”

“Nobody’s going to want to hire a bunch of kids,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “That was our best gig ever.”

Clover glanced over at Autumn, wincing at her pained expression, which reflected back from the mirror.

Then she tensed. She’d been listening nervously every time a car came and went in the parking lot outside their room, expecting Bonnie Rhoads and her goon squad to show up and crash through their door. She had paid for their room in cash, and the clerk hadn’t asked for her ID, but her heart still jumped to her throat every time she heard a car pull into the motel parking lot.

Someone parked nearby, and then she heard footsteps pounding down the walkway towards them.

She leaped up. There was no way that she was letting anyone take these kids from her. A hammering on the doorway made her start.

“It’s me! Open up!” Sam yelled.

“Hold on,” she said to her siblings. “Stay here.”

She walked over to the door and unlocked it, opening it partway. Tears filled her eyes; she hadn’t wanted to leave him.

“Sam, I’m so sorry. I can’t come back,” she said, blinking hard.

“Just come outside and talk to me.”

She nodded and glanced back at her brother and sisters. “I’ll be right outside the door,” she said. “I’ll only be a minute.” She stepped outside, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

“How did you find us?” she asked shakily. “I didn’t mean to run out like that, I just panicked.”

              “I understand. I’m not mad. You were worried about your family; I’d have done the same thing. Listen, we’ve got the best lawyers in the state on retainer; we can figure this out.” His voice was pleading.

She shook her head. “No, we can’t. That woman is not going to stop coming after my family. She made it very clear that as long as I’m in Blue Moon Junction she’ll do whatever it takes to take away my brother and sisters.”

A look of comprehension dawned on Sam’s face. “She did, didn’t she? As long as you’re in Blue Moon Junction. Listen – I think I can solve all of our problems. Do you trust me?”

“Uh – maybe? Mostly? I think so?”

“Not exactly the ringing endorsement I’m looking for, but I’ll take it. Will you promise me that you’ll stay here?”

“Okay,” she said cautiously. “What are you going to do?”

“Some investigating. Actually, can I borrow Lennon here? He’s a better phone hacker than my best men, and I want to confirm my suspicions.”

At Clover’s fearful look, he added, “I swear to you that nobody will take him. They’d have to come through me, and I’d kill anyone who tried. I’m dead serious.”

She nodded reluctantly. She did trust Sam. She knew he’d never let anything happen to her family. “All right. When will you be back?”

“A few hours, tops.”

She let Sam into the motel room. “Good news,” she said to Lennon. “Sam is going to borrow you to assist him in some quasi-legal activities.”

Lennon’s face lit up. “I’m your criminal. I mean, I’m your man,” he said eagerly.

“Just him?” Twilight said, looking disappointed. “I haven’t broken the law all day. You said yourself that my criminal energy needs to be properly channeled.”

 “I did say that,” Sam said. “I assure you there will be plenty of opportunities for lawbreaking in your future.” He glanced over at Clover and added hastily “While working for me, of course.”

“Of course. Wink wink.” Twilight nodded.

“There is no wink wink,” Clover said indignantly. “You will only break the law when Sam says so. That sounds worse when I say it out loud. You know what I mean.”

She waited on pins and needles, while Autumn glumly read a magazine and Twilight and Moonlight napped.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sam returned with Lennon. They were both all smiles.

“Guess who just got fired and will likely be arrested?” He grinned. “A certain Bonnie Rhoades. And Marjorie’s in a heap of trouble too. Let’s see how the Jamboree planning committee likes that.”

“I’m a genius, by the way,” Lennon added proudly.

“Remember when we walked into the diner and Bonnie was really quick to put her cell phone away?” Sam said. “Lennon hacked into her phone and found out that she’d just been talking to Marjorie.  In fact, she and Marjorie had been making frequent phone calls to each other from the day that you arrived in town.