Vigilant (6 page)

“Possibly, if everyone else in the office wasn’t doing something similar or worse.” He gave Ari a wolfish grin.

“I don’t even want to know.”

“You really don’t.”

At the end of four miles, the roommates raced to their reward. Sticky and delicious doughnuts from a shop near their home. Once purchased they exited the shop and walked back to the house. Weekend runs started as a way to fight off the extra weight and stress being part of the workforce inevitably caused. Plus, it gave them an excuse to get doughnuts afterwards.

“Try this,” Ari said, breaking off a piece of her Nutella cream puff.

Oliver took the doughnut out of her hand and popped it in his mouth. “Ohgodthat’sawesome,” he mumbled.

They reached their street and Ari noticed something weird in the driveway. “Why is my car leaning like that?”

“I don’t know,” Oliver said. He jogged ahead. “Oh shit.”

“What?” she ran up to him but stopped hard when she saw her car up close. “Motherfudger!”

Two of her tires had been slashed and the entire left panel of her car had key scrapes down the side. Ari’s car wasn’t especially nice. Honestly, it was a piece of junk, but she owned it outright and she tried to take care of it. A wave of anger washed over her. “Asshats,” she said, breaking her own non-cursing rule.“They did this while we were running? In broad daylight?”

“Pretty nervy,” Oliver said, looking up and down the street. It was early enough on a Saturday morning that no one else was out. “Probably only took them a couple of minutes.”

“This sucks,” Ari said, leaning against the lopsided car.

“Let me go call the police.”

Since it was a non-emergency, it took the officer almost an hour to get there. She’d sent Oliver inside for a shower since she was able to deal with this herself. As soon as the officer got out of the car Ari, recognized him from the armed robbery at the hardware store.

“Didn’t expect to see you so soon,” Officer Baker said. He kneeled by her car, surveying the damage. “Any idea who did this?”

“Not specifically,” Ari snorted. “But I could probably make a short list.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You have a lot of enemies or something?”

“I’m a juvenile probation officer. I have a caseload of sixty kids. I could narrow it down to about fifteen that hate me at the moment.”

Officer Baker whistled. “Yeah, that could be a problem. Or it could be random. Did they take anything?”

“Nope. Just messed up the car.”

“So, yeah, probably retaliation of some kind. Who’s at the top of your list?”

Ari thought about it. She had two boys on runaway status right now—both with outstanding warrants Ari issued when they’d failed to make curfew. Then there was Hope, but she was in lockup. There wasn’t much she could do from inside. She thought back to Jace Watkins and the armed robbery, but Ari still thought he hadn’t recognized her. If so, he would’ve probably done a lot more than slit her tires.

“I’ll write the names down,” she said, taking the pad from Officer Baker. She wrote down three or four, adding Jace’s name at the bottom.

“That’s the kid from the robbery last week,” Baker said, looking over the names. “The one that got away. You didn’t tell me he was a client of yours.”

“He’s not. He aged out a while back but I recognized him from our program. If he saw me that day, he may think he needs to scare me.”

Officer Baker frowned and fished out a business card. “I’ll look into this and send you the report for insurance. Be careful and call me directly if anything else happens.” He looked over at her house. “You have a roommate? A dog?”

“Roommate—no dog. But it’s a guy, if that helps.”

“It may. I see your security sticker. Make sure you turn your system on, okay?”

“I try to remember,” Ari said, knowing that she wasn’t always vigilant about it. Officer Baker got in his car and drove off while Ari stared at the mess her car had become. The scratches were ugly, but the two flat tires made it un-drivable. She walked back into the house to call a tow truck.

* * *

Since Oliver worked all day in his office—and could hitch a ride home with Veronica—Ari dropped him off downtown on her way to Curtis’s house while her car was at the shop. Mr. Davis had given her a list of items Curtis would need while in the program, and she thought she’d try his house. Luckily, the program had some basic supplies he could borrow until she got back with his personal items.

Ms. Wilson lived in a housing project near the stadium. The century-old houses lining her street sat in varied states of neglect. Curtis’s mother’s home was no exception although there seemed to be some attempt at keeping the yard and porch clean. Ari parked Oliver’s SUV on the street and locked the doors. She’d come early on purpose, the time of day when drug dealers and car thieves slept. Even though there was a false sense of peacefulness about the neighborhood, the numbness that Ari struggled with returned slowly. She frowned in disgust over the plastic drug baggies that littered the streets. Smashed beer bottles. All signals that every effort she made for these kids had been futile.

No one answered Ari’s knock, so she tried twice more, even pulling on the screen door to see if it was also locked. Curtis had no phone number listed in his file. Tucking her card into the wire mesh door, Ari stepped off the porch. Halfway down the walk, she heard the locks slide and the door slowly open. Curtis’s mother stood inside, obscured by the dark screen door. Ari had expected his grandmother who was listed in his file as his primary caregiver.

“Ms. Wilson?”

“Yes? Who are you?”

“Ari Grant. I’m Curtis’s caseworker. We’ve met before. Is Curtis’s grandmother here?”

“Curtis. When’s he coming home?” she asked. Her voice sounded like gravel, thick and deep.

Ari noted that Ms. Wilson didn’t invite her in. She took a deep breath and explained, “During his hearing, Judge Hatcher recommended a residential placement.”

“How can she do that without my permission?”

“Ms. Wilson, the court sent a notice to Curtis’s grandmother in the mail about his hearing date.”

“We didn’t get no notice.”

“Well, he had one. The good news, though, is that his placement is in town and it’s at a really good program. I think he has a chance of graduating from it successfully.”

She squinted her eyes at Ari and Ari wondered if she was on drugs or hungover.

“What kind of program is this?” Ms. Wilson asked.

“He’ll live there and go to a local school. They have counseling services and a strong focus on athletics.”

“Sports?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“He’s always been good at sports. Probably get a basketball scholarship. Everyone says so.”

Ari had no idea who “everyone” was. She simply said, “Good. Then this may be the best place for him.”

Ms. Wilson stared at Ari with suspicious eyes. “What do you need from me?”

“I came by to see if Curtis has any clothes or personal items I can take to him. Is there anything here?”

Ms. Wilson finally slid the latch on the other side of the door. “You can check his room.”

She followed the woman through the cluttered house. Past cheap furniture and a blaring television. A hole in the wall and the spider-webbed lines of the cracked ceiling revealed how desperately the house needed repair. From reading Curtis’s file, Ari knew his mother didn’t work and that she lived off government assistance. His father had been in jail since Curtis was a toddler, up until his death just before Curtis’s tenth birthday. The odds stacked against Curtis Wilson finding success in this world seemed insurmountable.

“Check his drawers if you want. Or the closet. There’s not much, but I haven’t been in here since he left.”

Ari watched as his mother walked away, probably back to the living room, leaving Ari alone in the room.

Overall, Curtis kept his room tidier than she would expect for a teenage boy. His mattress sat on the floor with no frame. Surprisingly, a couple of books sat stacked neatly on the floor. She noticed library stickers on the back and put them in her bag, figuring no one else would return them. Several trophies sat on the top of his dresser and ribbons were tacked onto the walls. Ari leaned closer to read the lettering. Academic, football, math…

Although they were several years old, it became obvious that Curtis was more than a gifted athlete—he had a brain, too.

No wonder Judge Hatcher wanted to give him a second chance.

The dresser had two broken knobs, so Ari jimmied the drawers open with a comb she found on top. Inside, she salvaged three T-shirts and a pair of jeans. In his sock drawer, she found a baggie of weed. Holding it in her hand she weighed her options. In the end, she tossed it back in. The weed alone could explain his slipping grades. Closing the drawer, she moved to the closet, which revealed a coat and two pairs of shoes. They were probably too small, but it was worth a shot.

In the living room, Ari found Ms. Wilson where she’d expected her, curled up on the couch staring at the television. Ari stopped in front of the door and pulled some papers out of her bag. “Ms. Wilson, here is some information about Curtis. His phone number and visiting hours. I’ll be happy to drive you once he earns visitation.”

“I don’t have a phone,” she said.

“I know. You’re welcome to come by my office and we can call him.”

Ms. Wilson didn’t answer, her heavy eyes glazed over in the direction of the television. Ari slipped her own card out of her pocket and left it with the other paperwork before she walked out the door.

* * *

Back at the office, Ari found Jace Watkins’s file on her desk. It was six inches thick and masking tape had replaced the original binding. Stanton passed her office and said, “Heard you asking about him the other day and I found that in storage. He’s over eighteen and out of our jurisdiction. The last time I saw him was in county lockup for an assault charge. He aged out while waiting for trial. Not sure what happened after that.”

“Thanks,” Ari said, opening the front cover. She’d been poking around the closed files the other day and asked her fellow caseworker, Tony, if he remembered anything about him. She should have just asked Stanton in the first place. He remembered everything about the kids that came in and out of here. She skimmed the details, but it seemed Jace had a history of violent crimes, starting at age twelve. He spent two sentences in long-term detention before he was eighteen, and then the arrest Stanton spoke of. He only had an eighth-grade education, but his psychological exam noted his high IQ. Smart and dangerous. Scary.

Carrying the file, Ari walked to the office next door. “Stanton, do you remember what the last arrest was for? The adult charge?”

He scratched his bald head. “Armed robbery I think. That was kind of his standard M.O. Maybe a convenience store?”

“Okay.” So Jace had a history of armed robbery. Not surprised, she started back to her office but stopped when Stanton called her name.

“Why are you looking into him? Don’t you have enough cases of your own?”

“You would think, right?” Ari laughed. “One of my files crossed with his and I was just curious. Nothing big.”

“Look in the back. I should have put his final court notice in there.”

“Okay,” she said, flipping through the pages. Just inside her door she jumped, dropping the file to the ground.

“Holy crud, Nick!” She bent down to pick up the paperwork, while her heart slammed against her chest. “You scared me!”

Nick scrambled from the empty chair he’d been waiting in. “I’m sorry, not my intention.”

“I think I’ve been a little skittish since the armed robbery,” she confessed.

“Understandable,” he said. She loved the way his forehead creased in concern for her. “I really am sorry.”

Ari breathed in and smelled something yummy. She finally noticed the bag of food waiting on her desk. She peeked into the bag. “What’s this?”

“I knew if I asked you to meet me for lunch you would say you were too busy, so I brought lunch to you.”

“How did you know I would say that?” Calmer now, Ari sat in her desk chair and swiveled it to face him.

“Because when I called earlier, that’s what Rebecca said.”

Ari rolled her eyes. “Oh, did she?”

“She suggested I come here.”

“Uh huh,” Ari said. She opened the bag and pulled out two tacos wrapped in foil. “She happened to tell you that Taco Taco is my favorite place for lunch?”

“Possibly,” he said, with a satisfied grin.

“Thank you,” Ari said and handed him one of the tacos.

He bit into his lunch, attempting not to spill food all over his suit. Ari dug into the bag and gave him a handful of napkins. They ate in silence until he asked, “So how was your weekend?”

“Ugh, pretty good. Someone trashed my car.”

Nick frowned. “What? How?”

“Slashed my tires and keyed the sides. It’s in the shop today.”

“What the hell is going on with you, Ari? The armed robbery and now this? Do you think they’re connected?”

Ari shrugged. Nick didn’t know about Jace. “I’m sure it was just random. I don’t live in the most crime-free community, you know.”

They spent the rest of their lunch break talking about other things and finally Ari said, “I’m going to get in trouble if you hang around much longer.”

“I need to head back anyway,” he said, standing and taking his coat off the back of the chair. Nick really was quite handsome and Ari realized she enjoyed spending time with him. Two “dates” and things felt good between them.

“Let me walk you out,” Ari said, and they walked the maze of her office and past Rebecca who was eating her own Taco Taco lunch at her desk. Ari lifted an eyebrow as she walked by but Rebecca only smirked in return. They walked outside to the courtyard.

“So next time, the food is on me?” she suggested.

Nick gave her a sly smile. “Sounds good. Call you later?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

He leaned over and gave her a gentlemanly kiss on the cheek. Ari smiled when he gave her arm a gentle squeeze before he walked away.

“Bye,” she called.

Ari liked Nick. He was a great guy. Maybe a little straight-and-narrow for her taste but she knew it was time to grow up a little and find a stable guy. Not the type who entertained crowds with backflips in clubs. Plus, that would have been a major conflict of interest now that she and Mr. Davis worked together.