Wednesday,
November 30th
By 6:45 in the morning, Diego, Sara, and Benita were all over at Pilar and Juan's house, helping the frenzied and panicked couple organize a search party for Sofia (no one had noticed yet that the Vespa was gone, too). Rafael and Enrique were there, as well, but they, like Elena and Daniela, had their orders to go to school for the day, and to keep pretending that everything was normal (Rafael clenched his fists, hearing that edict, and refused to meet anyone's eyes, no matter what Benita, whom he was barely speaking to, tried).
Pilar phoned Principal McGee and told her, with a supreme effort of polite calm, that Sofia wouldn't be at school for the day due to an upset stomach.
Elena, Daniela, and Enrique had all been given the order to keep a close eye on Rafael, who had been strictly forbidden to talk with Michael, or anyone, about plans for Guillermo. Elena thrilled to the idea, grinning with smug viciousness. Daniela looking willing, while Enrique looked confused and miserable.
Rafael was already making plans for a mutiny, worried about Sofia though he was.
At 7:13 a.m., there was a knock at the front door, and Daniela answered it, a sharp blast of the cold morning air smacking her in the face, her jaw dropping when she saw the four police officers (two of whom were women, the other two of whom were men) standing there, stern-looking. She opened her mouth, inhaling one long breath, before screaming for her parents.
Everyone came running –
"Where – what – "
"Did you – is it – "
"Sofia – my – have you – "
"Please, our daughter, Sofia Yvelisse Hernández is missing – "
"You are Pilar Hernández? And Juan Hernández?"
"Yes. Our daughter, Sofia, wasn't in her room when we got up this morning to help her and her sister get ready for school." Pilar sobbed. "Please tell me you have found her? Is she all right?"
"She's fine, Señora Hernández, she's down at the police station now. She paid us a visit at around four-thirty this morning. Quite a bit of information she gave us, concerning your plans for the man named Guillermo Jimenez." one of the lady officers declared pointedly.
All the air drained from the room, a different kind of cold seeping in.
Rafael felt his stomach hit the ground – Sofia, chica valiente, dulce y loca – and he couldn't stop the sharp laugh from rolling out.
No one else was moving, or hardly breathing. Pilar and Juan looked like they'd seen El Cadejos come to life.
"And you are?" the same lady officer asked Rafael, eyeing him closely, taking in his too-wide, overly-exuberant grin.
A wave of elated, dizzying relief was nearly knocking him sideways. "Rafael Jimenez, señora. That's Elena, that's Daniela, that's Enrique. Is Sofia all right?"
"She's fine, as we've said. But we're taking everyone involved in. We have questions for you." one of the male officers declared.
"Do I have to be there? I have school. I was against this. And don't give me that look, Mom." Gazing her straight in the eyes, he promised coldly, "If Sofia hadn't, I would have."
(Hearing that, Ivaleigh brightened.)
"We'll need your statement as a witness, Mr. Jimenez."
Rafael took a deep breath. "I understand." he said slowly. "But I have school. And what I would have to tell you isn't any different from Sofia had to say."
"But you are Guillermo Jimenez's son."
Rafael was already shaking his head. "Not anymore. To be honest, I don't know that I fit in this family anymore, no more than Julio did – "
"Rafael!" Benita gasped, stung and rattled to the core, turning her betrayed eyes on him.
"I told you to not say his name." Diego bit out, his face reddening.
Rafael ignored them both. "Did Sofia mention to you about – him?" He flung his uncle a derisive look.
"Yes. We also believe there was information that she was withholding. It doesn't make sense to us, that each of you would try to protect Guillermo Jimenez, children or no children, when he was the only culprit in the assault on the Millers, and the in the kidnapping and physical assault of Ivaleigh and Lailea Storm. Why not wash your hands of him? We've already been in touch with the Millers, before we woke up Lailea and Ivaleigh Storm to hold a conversation with them about the events of the last few days."
The officers each stepped aside, revealing Lailea and Ivaleigh, and Lailea's black eye, and the cut on Ivaleigh's face, the slowly healing cuts on both of their bottom lips, the fading red rawness on their wrists.
Seeing them, and (some of) the damage that Guillermo had done, Benita flinched, staring towards the floor, while Rafael shoved his way past everyone and dragged Ivaleigh into a hug. "I was going to do something, querido corazón. Pull the fire alarm on both floors. Run in the school hall in my boxers. Flip Coach Littles off with both fingers. Ride my truck over the school lawn and leave tracks. Pick a fight with Carrington, fast as he'd knock me on my ass. Something, to get up to McGee's office and call the cops."
Ivaleigh smiled tremulously at him, pressing a kiss to his mouth before laying her head against his chest, her arms around his waist.
Observing this, Lailea felt a soft stab of burning jealousy, and thought of Bastian.
"Pilar Hernández and Juan Hernández, Benita Jimenez, Sara and Diego Montoya, you are all under arrest, on the charges of obstruction of justice and the attempt of facilitating a jailbreak."
"We haven't – they didn't do anything!" Elena yelled.
Brown nose much, Elena? "They were going to." Rafael countered with taut rage.
Pilar, Juan, Sara, and Diego all looked at him, eyes burning, their dispositions turning hostile.
I don't care. "But you don't see Ivaleigh and Lailea right now, do you?"
"You back-stabbing, lying, two-faced traitor – " Elena snarled, looking like a madwoman. "This is your fault, if you'd just stayed away from that southern-fried whore, none of this would be happening!" She finished by screaming the words at him.
Rafael opened his mouth to yell back, then opted for the taunting approach. "You wanna fuck my girlfriend sunup to sundown and I'm the 'two-faced liar'?"
Elena just about launched herself at him, nails and teeth bared, and Juan grabbed a hold of her arm, dragging her back roughly, hissing at her in Spanish to Stop making scenes before I have your pussy-loving hide thrown in a mental hospital, where they can shock that fairy-loving unnaturalness right out of you.
Elena went quiet, almost wilting, shivering in her complacence. I'm a good girl.
"Are you aware that I'm Spanish by decent, Señor Hernández?" the same lady officer asked, with frigid politeness. "I understood everything that you just told your daughter, concerning a mental hospital that allows shock treatments."
The adults shut up some after that.
"Mr. Jimenez?" one of the male officers questioned, noticing the focused, strained expression on Rafael's face; he blinked, looking at them. "Ivaleigh is my girlfriend. She's supposed to meet with our high school principal today, I want to be there for her ... I dunno how much you know about hers and Lailea's mother, Ambrosia Lynn ... ?"
"Ivaleigh and Lailea mentioned about Mrs. Storm, yes, and we put phone calls in to the LAPD Central Division, and to the station in Boulevard. We'll only need your statement, and you'll be free to leave."
"What about Daniela and Enrique? Cos they had nothing to do with it."
"Rafael Javier Cristobal Jimenez. Shut. Up." Benita snapped at him through gritted teeth.
Rafael shut his eyes for a moment, the tension crackling through him; he looked back at the officers. "My younger cousins had nothing to do with it."
"That doesn't mean we don't need their statements. Child welfare services will see to them, as well as Sofia and you, and the Storm twins, until this all gets sorted out." one of the male officers replied while gesturing to the two lady social workers standing by their cars at the curb, dressed nice and looking solemn.
"That, we won't allow." Pilar nearly screamed, paling. "I don't want any officer or lawyer talking to my daughters, Elena and Daniela, without me or their father present. And there's no need to involve child services, none of our children have been abused or neglected – "
"Except for Julio, you threw him out on the street just cos he – "
"I TOLD YOU TO NOT SPEAK HIS NAME IN FRONT OF ME!"
There was five seconds of ringing silence, in which Diego stared around at everyone with hot, bitter resentment.
"I don't want any officer or lawyer talking to my son, Enrique, without me or his father present." Sara echoed.
"The same goes for me, concerning my son, Rafael." Benita finished.
"That leaves the five of you, then." one of the female officers replied coolly.
"Do you have a warrant?" Juan demanded.
"We have probable cause, Señor Hernández. A warrant wasn't necessary. Now." the other female officer clarified, as she and the other three officers began pulling the handcuffs out. "We'll discuss matters further in the interrogation rooms."
The neighbors were peeking out through their living room windows.
Rafael gave his written statement at the station, then left with Ivaleigh, Lailea, and one of the social workers to go to the high school; the hallways were empty due to classes being in session (Stephanie was still ignoring Johnny and Paulette completely, and Michael kept glancing around with concern for Rafael and his family), and they walked into the office at around 10:30, with Rafael holding Ivaleigh's hand; seeing the girls, Principal McGee's jaw dropped, her expression one of momentarily blank shock.
"What ... the ... "
Ivaleigh shook her head, while Lailea answered quietly, "It's more a story than either of us got patience for right now, Miss McGee. The biggest point bein', our grandparents are in the hospital, an' me an' Ivy have been put in the care of the welfare people. Least til someone can be made guardian ad litem. Our aunt an' uncle an' cousin are here, but nothin's settled."
"We got school t' consider." Ivaleigh added. "An' I changed my mind. I won't be takin' my diploma early. I need somethin' t' help me stay steady. An' yeah, I know, there's some catchin' up t' do. I'll make that shit happen."
"The slightly larger concern," said the social worker (a tall woman with plain features, goldenrod hair in a tight braid, and an opera singer's voice), "Is Lailea and where she will be continuing her education. She's expressed the interest of remaining with her sister."
"You can have everythin' sent from Hattiesburg, right?" Lailea nearly begged. "I'm still a sophomore."
Principal McGee considered that for all of two heartbeats, still staring with frowning, worried pity at the girls' faces. "It shouldn't be a problem. You can start classes following Christmas break."
"Lailea's just as smart as I am, an' she's my age ... d'ya think she could get moved up t' senior next year?" Ivaleigh proposed excitedly, and Lailea arched her eyebrows at her sister, a gently amused smirk gracing her mouth.
"Lailea?" Principal McGee asked.
"Assumin' we ain't in New York by then, what would I need t' do?"
"The teachers would have to evaluate you in each of your classes, by participation and academic performance. At the end of the year, you and I would have a meeting to determine whether or not I can approve your request. How are your grades so far?"
Lailea exhaled, that drained look coming back to her face. "Straight A pluses all over the place. I kinda buried myself in the work. A few of my teachers said I was writin' at a college level when I was fourteen."
Principal McGee offered her a kind smile. "Well, then, I suppose ... let the games begin."
It was 5:10 in the morning (Thursday December 1st); the sunrise wasn't for another hour and a half.
Rafael, Julio, Lailea, Ivaleigh, and Caitríona could each see their breaths in the almost-full moonlight coming down through the trees, and in the glow of the flashlights as they approached the four camping trailers in the woods on foot, having parked the trucks and the car a hundred yards back.
They wouldn't be taking all of the money: A trailer full, Rafael and Julio had reckoned, would do the trick.
"I feel a little dirty." Julio joked quietly, giddy at the prospect of some form of vengeance, for himself and Ivaleigh and Lailea.
Rafael smirked at him. "Wipe the shit-eatin' grin off your face, we gotta be careful."
Julio grinned, then muttered to Ivaleigh, "Don't trip on nothin' ... not that that rack of yours wouldn't break the fall."
"Boy!" Caitríona admonished from right next to them, her voice wobbling in amusement, while Ivaleigh gave Julio an impressed look of mock indignation, an ornery smile spreading wide. Rafael leaned back and flicked one finger across his cousin's ear in warning. "No drooling over my girl's center pieces."
"Jealous?" Julio retorted, while Lailea managed between snorting giggles, "Shh-shhh!"
Rafael regained composure, even as Ivaleigh was grinning wickedly at him. "C'mon, everyone!" he commanded in a sharp whisper, the white streak in his hair glowing in the moonlight. "This is serious!"
"Oh, very, lover." Ivaleigh wriggled her eyebrows at him, darting closer to murmur roughly in his ear, "So serious. If I misbehave, will ya punish me?"
Rafael gave her braided hair a gentle tug, and he pressed a heated, flirting kiss to her mouth. "Sideways on Santa Rosa, my girl, now, c'mon!"
They retreated just over half an hour later, taking tens of thousands with them, all of it in boxes, in neatly contained piles of hundred dollar bills, as well as a scant few of the large denomination bills (between $500 and $1,000). Once back at the truck (after everything was stored away for transport), Ivaleigh stuck two fingers in her mouth and whistled, loud and sharp, while Rafael yelled encouragingly, at full volume, "Come and get it!"
From the trees and bushes emerged everyone that Ivaleigh had ever met and known on Skid Row (forty-two all together, her former landlady included, and all of them carrying one flashlight and one large garbage bag each), starting with Wolf and Adelina, who gave Ivaleigh a firm hug and murmured, "May HaShem smile on you and your mishpocha, always."
The remaining three trailers were raided, every last one of the boxes sent flying in all directions while every last bill present was confiscated amid whoops of joy and laughter; Ivaleigh had agreed to lead them all here, to this glorious treasure trove, on one condition: Absolutely NO FIGHTING!
At 7:13 a.m., the plane that Genevieve and Logan were flying in on touched down on the runway, with the stewardess giving a tired but (forcibly) cheery, "Welcome to Los Angeles."