Push Comes To Shove Part 10

"No, r.e.t.a.r.ded. You didn't either." He stuck a foot in his sock and heard something himself. He jumped up and dropped the opposite sneaker. "They're home!"

"Told you. When are you gonna listen to me?" Secret was ecstatic that their dilemma was over. She followed Junior into the hall. They hadn't quite made it halfway down the stairs when a sheriff appeared at the bottom of the flight.

Sheriff Colin Edmund parked in front of 2197 Miami Street.

He lugged a toolbox from the Oldsmobile's trunk, then followed the driveway to the property's back door. From the exterior's appearance of the property, he was sure the Pattersons would miss the Upper Valley home. He secured a Foreclosed Foreclosed and a and a No Trespa.s.sing No Trespa.s.sing sign to the door with a cordless screwdriver. Then, he fastened a folding hinge to the doorframe and rested a Master Lock on the hinge. Before he could bolt the rear entrance, he was required to make sure that there were no people or animals inside the property. sign to the door with a cordless screwdriver. Then, he fastened a folding hinge to the doorframe and rested a Master Lock on the hinge. Before he could bolt the rear entrance, he was required to make sure that there were no people or animals inside the property.

He gathered his tools, went to the front entrance, and repeated the process-only this time, he opened the door and went inside. Good thing they moved some of their belongings Good thing they moved some of their belongings. He crossed the empty living room and began to lock every window on the first floor. He studied the Pattersons' family portrait mounted above the fireplace and wondered why bad things seemed to happen to good people. He backed away from the attractive photo and banged against an end table, causing it to open, sending his toolbox cras.h.i.+ng to the floor. "This isn't going to be a good day."

He began tossing the tools back into the metal box, resonating a clatter throughout the residence. He fastened the lid, double checked it, then headed for the stairs. He gripped the banister, looked toward his destination, and flinched. "You kids startled me, liked to gave me a freaking heart attack. Is there anyone else in the house?" He put a boot on the next step.

"We're not going back." Secret tugged Junior by a shoulder and backed up the stairs.

He took another step. "I have to remove you from the property. You have to go somewhere."

Secret's foot hit the landing.

"Don't make us go." Junior shook his head.

"I have to." A third step.

Secret yanked Junior and they dashed to their room. She locked the door with a sliding lock. "I knew they would come for us, but d.a.m.n."

The sheriff climbed the remaining stairs. "Not a good day at all." He faced a door with a sign on it that read: Leave Me Alone. I'm Concentrating Leave Me Alone. I'm Concentrating. He pounded on the door with the side of a closed fist. "Come out of there. Don't make this harder than what it is."

Junior and Secret eased away from the vibrating door.

Junior stared with fright. His young heart thumped each time the Sheriff hit the door. "He's going to break it open."

The doork.n.o.b spun in both directions.

"I don't have all day to fool with you kids. Come out of there now! Or I'm coming in."

"Help me." Secret struggled to push the huge dresser toward the door.

Junior joined her efforts.

"I can't go back, Junior." She began to cry.

More door banging.

"We don't have to go back."

Secret sat on her b.u.t.t, leaning against the dresser. "We're stuck in here. You even said it yourself; that policeman is going to get in." She could feel the heavy door pounding in her back through the vibration of the dresser.

"You promised me that we wouldn't go back, so we're not." He opened the window and lifted the screen. "It's not high as you think. Don't be a sissy." He poked his head out and looked down to Mr. Irvington's driveway. It really was high. "You can do this, Secret; we practiced this fire drill route with Mom and Dad enough."

"But I'm the only one who'll get trapped in a fire if I'm upstairs." She gazed through the open window in horror. "It's too high."

The sheriff aimed a shoulder at the door and rammed it. The wood splintered.

The force was too much for Secret's small back to absorb. She detached herself from the dresser.

"You're not getting trapped today." Junior pulled a wooden case from under the bed.

Sheriff Colin rubbed his aching shoulder. I'm too old for this freaking bulls.h.i.+t I'm too old for this freaking bulls.h.i.+t. He positioned himself to ram the door again.

Junior secured the fire ladder on the windowsill like GP had taught him, then tossed the ropy rungs through the window.

A portion of the sliding lock fell to the floor. Secret's knickknacks rolled from the dresser top.

"Come the h.e.l.l out of there!"

Junior started down the swaying ladder. "Come on, Secret. Don't get caught and leave me by myself."

The dresser began to move as Sheriff Colin pushed.

Secret took a deep breath and backed out of the window, searching blindly to gain footing on the ladder.

"See, it's easy." Junior lowered himself. "Don't look down."

She looked to where she had just come from and screamed when Sheriff Colin stuck his head through the window.

Smitty hated to say no. His character flaw was that he'd been generously irresponsible for years. He shook his head with the phone receiver on his ear. "Bad as I want to say yes, GP, I just can't. Right now I don't have that type of money. Times have been real hard for me. Ends are not meeting. I need to be asking you for the money you owe me."

Killer tapped Smitty when the gorgeous lady strutted through the door wearing a pea coat that showed nothing but a set of long legs in a pair of fishnet stockings.

"Thanks anyway, Smitty." GP hung up.

The Ebony Lady stood in front of the counter and let her pea coat fall to the floor. The nurse outfit hugged her spectacular body like taut skin. A stethoscope swung from her neck. "I was told that there was a sick little boy here who's in dire need of medical attention."

Killer grabbed Smitty's hand and placed it on his own forehead. "See, Smitty, I told you I had a fever, but you wouldn't listen." He led Smitty to the door.

"Hey, what's the rush? I-"

"I got the flu. A nasty one. Trust me; you don't want to catch it." Killer locked the door and turned to his nurse. "It hurts all over."

Suzette scanned house addresses as she spoke into her cell phone. "Todd, what more do you want me to say? I apologize. It slipped my mind. Let's reschedule; I'm really doing something important."

"And trying to save our marriage isn't important?"

"Don't do that to me. It's not fair." She was getting closer. "I told you that I'm helping someone out."

"Jesus f.u.c.king Christ, Suzette! That's always the case with you. Your priorities are totally screwed up. What's important is home; not every Tom, d.i.c.k, and Harry. You can't save the G.o.dd.a.m.n world."

"Give me an hour, Todd. One hour and I'll be there."

"So help me G.o.d, Suzette, if you don't come now, forget about the marriage. I'll have my lawyer fax you the divorce papers."

Suzette sighed at the same time as she found Kitchie's address. "Must you be stubborn...all..." She saw two children coming down a flimsy ladder. "I'll call you back."

"Don't bother. Let the record show that I tried. You just became a waste of my time. Have a ball saving the world." He hung up.

Secret screamed.

Suzette saw the older white man in the window above the children. She jerked the Ford in Park and rushed across the yard.

Junior's feet hit the ground. He helped his trembling sister off of the ladder.

"Secret, Junior," a frail white woman called out as she ran toward them.

They cut through the tall bushes in their backyard, running as fast as possible.

Sheriff Colin watched from above. "Crazy bunch of kids." He unhooked the ladder. It fell to the ground. He locked the window after it.

Hector came out of Mr. Doughnuts sipping an espresso.

Detective Thomas leaned against a mailbox. "Hector Gonzales." He flashed a badge. "Mind if I have a few words with you?"

Hector grunted and turned in the other direction.

Detective Crutchfield stepped out of a phone booth and produced a badge. "Maybe you're more comfortable with talking to me."

Hector stopped in his tracks. Crutchfield Crutchfield.

Detective Thomas guided Hector to the phone booth, kicked his feet apart, and frisked him. Thomas took a bag of dope from his own pocket and held it up to Hector's face. "You know better than this. You could have at least tried to hide the s.h.i.+t."

Crutchfield stepped closer. "Looks like you're on your way back to the joint with a new case and a parole violation."

"What the h.e.l.l you want from me?" He eyed Crutchfield, then Thomas.

"Now that's what you call a freedom question." Crutchfield grabbed Hector by an arm. "Let's go downtown and talk about it."

"Where's your other shoe?" Secret huffed and puffed.

Junior paused. "In the house. We gotta keep going. They have people looking for us like we broke out of prison." He led the way through the woods.

"We did. Are you sure this is the way?"

"Me, Rasheed, Rashaad, and them come in these woods all the time to find salamanders. The street is straight ahead." His once-white sock was beyond cleaning.

"We have to get something to put on your feet." She dodged a tree branch.

"Buy me some shoes at the shopping center."

"Can't."

"Why?"

"I left the money in my other pants. I should've put it in my sock again."

Junior stopped. "So what am I supposed to do? We haven't even ate."

"Don't look at me like that. We'll figure something out." Secret could see the traffic on Green Road through the trees a few feet ahead.

"Told you this was the way." Junior walked with a limp.

"Bet Mom and Dad don't know you and the twins be in the woods this far. They told you not-"

"Only way they'll know is if you tell them-if we ever see them again."

"Get that out of your fat head; we'll all be together soon."

"You hope." He paused and leaned against a tree. "My foot hurt."

They left the woods behind them and started their journey to the bottom of Green Road.

"Aunt Jewels will get you something to put on your feet when we get there. It's not that far from here. Will you be all right until then?"

"Do I have a choice?" Junior detoured around some broken gla.s.s on the sidewalk. He stopped when he saw more ahead. "Gimme a piggyback ride."

Secret drew in a breath and squatted. "I swear, you're lucky."

Junior poked his tongue out at the back of her head while climbing on. "Secret."

"Huh?"

"I don't really think you're a sissy. What if Aunty ain't there?"

"Then we'll wait until she comes."

A Ford slowed to a snail's pace beside them. Suzette lowered the power window while keeping an eye on the winding road. She shouted through the front pa.s.senger window. "Listen to me, Secret, your-"

"Why don't you leave us alone?" She started taking backward steps. "You're not taking us back."

A city bus was almost kissing Suzette's b.u.mper. Its husky horn was blown. Secret and Junior ran for the safety of the woods.

"How long has he been in there?" The captain observed Hector in the interrogation room from a two-way window.

Crutchfield kicked his feet up on a desk. "About eleven hours now."

"Then question him or turn him loose." The captain sipped a cup of coffee laced with vodka.

Thomas pushed Crutchfield's feet off the desk, then sat on the cleared area. "Crutchfield likes to make their imaginations drive 'em crazy, Captain." He pointed to Hector, who seemed to be taking it well.

The captain raised a brow. "How much longer do you plan on leaving him in there?"

"Patience is truly a virtue." Crutchfield smiled. "He'll be good and ready to talk by morning."