CHAPTER 8
Dick went back to Cabin #4 and found that he was the last one there. He opened the door and it was like looking in a mirror. Occupying the cabin were three boys with dark hair, blue eyes and pale skin. One was taller than Dick and two were shorter, but all had basically the same build.
"Looks like we got a newbie," said the tall one. " 'Abandon all hope' and so on."
"Showoff," said one of the short kids. "Ignore him. Just 'cause he thinks he's smart, he keeps muttering those weird quotations. I'm Chase," he said, hauling himself onto the other top bunk. "The freak is Tyler. And the runt is Jake."
"Hi," Dick said with a hopeful smile. "My name is Richard but my friends call me Dick." He waited for the sneers to start. To his surprise, they didn't.
"Yeah, well I'm not gonna laugh at your name. You and I oughta be friends, Dick," said Chase. "We both lost in the naming lottery. How'd you like to be named for a bank? My sister Tiffany, she's named for a lamp. Tells you what my parents were thinking when we were born."
The other kids nodded. "Your parents didn't want you?" Dick asked.
"No way, no how," Jake said. "I started stealin' to get their attention. I got it, all right. They sent me here to this flea-pit." His blue eyes grew hard. "Now I gotta get away if I can before I disappear like the others."
Now they were getting somewhere. "Kids disappear?" Dick asked.
"Kids like us," said Tyler. "You've got the look, too. We're doomed."
"Well, maybe you're doomed, Ty," Jake said. "Me, I'm goin' over the wire. Or under it, before they can disappear me like they did Rufe."
Dick pulled a chair over between the beds and sat down. "Did Rufus Garrett stay here?"
"You knew Rufus?" Chase asked and jumped down from the bunk bed. "Where?"
"He was my friend at school in Gotham City," Dick said. "I heard about him running away from here and….kinda forced my guardian to send me here."
"Stupid move, Dick," Jake said. "Real stupid. You won't find Rufus here anymore. One night and *poof!* he was gone!" Jake made a snapping motion with thumb and finger.
"Did he run away? Where did he go?" Dick asked.
"He got called to the Office and never came back," Tyler said glumly. "And Rufe and I had a chess game going. I was winning, but he never came back to finish."
"Yeah, Harrison told us that Rufus ran away after he left the Office," said Jake. "We knew he was lyin'. Sure, Rufe hated it here, but he was gonna stick it out and see if his Dad would let him come home."
"What do you think happened to him?" Dick asked.
The other three boys shared looks before Tyler shrugged. "We don't know. There are rumors, but…."
"What? Space aliens took him? That's a buncha bull!" Jake said. "I'm more inclined to believe that Hamilton and Harrison sold him."
"What for?" Dick asked, looking at each boy in turn.
"What do you think, for?" Jake demanded. "What is it your parents warn you about strangers for, huh? Rufus was short, like Chase and me. Ty's been here the longest and seen most of 'em go. Why? They prefer the little un's. No, Chase and me…and now you, Dick…we're goners."
"I keep telling you, I saw a bright light in the sky the night Rufe disappeared," Ty said patiently.
"It was a helicopter, idiot!" Jake said. "We all heard it take off. Then Harrison came in the next morning and packed all Rufus' stuff to send to his family. And that was it."
"Were any of you here when the other kids went missing?" Dick climbed up to his bunk and sat on it.
"I'm the only one," Tyler said. "And okay, maybe it was a helicopter…Anyway, the last two before Rufus, there were bright lights in the sky."
"Yeah, Jamie and…what was the other kid?" Jake asked.
"Bob, I think it was," Tyler said. "They went together. Both were sent to the box for something and supposedly got let out a day later, but we never saw them again. So, you aren't planning to run are you, Dick?"
"Not unless I have to," Dick replied.
"Don't even joke about that," Chase said. "The last unsuccessful runaway 'fell' over a cliff and broke his leg. Actually, Harrison did it himself, out there," he pointed. "In the desert."
After closing the kitchen for the night, Malone made his way to the staff quarters. Each worker had a room to himself in what were obviously old converted barracks. Gratefully, he got to his room and opened the window, drawing the curtains so that he had a clear view.
He had seen Dick go into Cabin #4, fortunately well within view of his own window. He put a pair of binoculars to his eyes and began to watch. His vigilance was rewarded several hours later, long after lights-out for the students, when he saw a small figure climb up to the rooftop of the cabin. The figure stood, silhouetted against the full moon, then sat down on the ridge-tree. The night was cold, but Dick didn't seem to feel it. Malone wished with all his heart that Batman could join the boy on the rooftop and reassure him that he wasn't all alone. He sighed. No, he'd told the boy that he was on his own. He had to trust that Dick knew enough, after five years as Robin, to conduct his own investigation.
He'd worried about the rumored brutality of the teachers here and had seen evidence of it when Dick showed up in the cafeteria line. Still, Dick seemed to be doing well enough. Although he'd had to give his dessert and chocolate milk to the bully at his table, he'd been able to eat the bulk of his dinner. Dick was a survivor; how could he have forgotten that? If his charm couldn't see him through, his acrobatics or self-defense skills would.
Malone put down his binoculars and closed the drapes. He had a long day tomorrow and hadn't slept well since Dick was sentenced. It was comforting to know that the boy was safe enough for this evening, at least.
CABIN #4
Dick woke the next morning to the sound of the bell. He saw his cabin-mates frantically dressing, then running for the showers. Dick followed suit and was soon in the steaming locker room. He took his clothes off and shoved them into a locker, then went to the shower area. There was a line, and although he had arrived before some bigger boys, he got pushed to the end, where he waited as patiently as he could, while the older boys used all the hot water. At the tail end of the line, Dick was finally able to shower in lukewarm water that slowly changed to cold. Shivering, he wrapped his towel around himself and went back to the locker where he'd left his clothing.
His shoes were gone. The brand new sneakers that Alfred got at Nieman Marcus! They cost five hundred bucks and he'd only owned them for a month. Alfred would kill him for losing them! In their place sat a ragged pair of Keds, about the same size as Dick's shoes.
Grumbling under his breath, Dick got dressed (including the ratty shoes) and went to the cafeteria. He was the last one in, of course, and had to sit at Jeremy's table again. He kept a sharp eye out but didn't see his shoes on anyone there.
Today's breakfast was French toast, so Dick just handed the plate to Jeremy. Dick was allowed to keep the scrambled eggs that went with it and soon discovered why. "Gaaaah, these are powdered eggs!" he said and took a long slug of milk to wash them down.
Jeremy, placidly masticating his pile of French toast, smothered in syrup, gave a chuckle. "You didn't think they'd buy real eggs for us, didja?" He burped. "Lots of the food we get is Army surplus. Cheaper that way."
Dick pondered a moment, pushing the 'eggs' around his plate, then assumed his most charming smile. "Jeremy, you've been here a long time, haven't you?"
"Yeah, about four years," Jeremy said. "What about it?"
"Did you know any of the kids that ran away?" Dick focused on his 'eggs', hoping that the bully wouldn't take offense at his question.
"I knew a few of 'em. Most of them looked a lot like you. Not as cooperative, though," Jeremy said, continuing to shovel breakfast into his mouth.
"What do you think happened to them? Really?" Dick asked and handed Jeremy the syrup for his next stack of French toast.
"Thanks." Jeremy took the syrup and poured the rest of it on his plate. "It's not smart to ask about that, G.D. People who get too curious about things here have a habit of 'running away' too. 'S just a warning, y'know. You're a nice kid and I'd hate to see what happened to them, happen to you."
"What happened to them?" Dick asked in a low voice.
"Nothin' you want to think about, Bro," Jeremy said and stretched his arms. "Although, with your looks…? You're already on the list. Sorry, but there's nothin' you or I can do about it."
"What list am I on?" Dick asked, almost desperately, as Jeremy got up from the table. "What list?"
Jeremy looked down and Dick and grunted. "Shopping list." He walked away.
The red-headed kitchen worker was cleaning up the cafeteria line with his attention focused on Dick. He overheard Jeremy and paused for a moment, his brows coming together in a frown. Jeremy clearly knew more than he was telling. Maybe Batman would pay the kid a visit tonight.
Bruce kept watch on Dick, pushing his breakfast around on his plate. Even with the unwanted food from the other kids, Dick wasn't getting enough calories. He resolved to find a way to slip the kid something to eat; he must be starving. "Hey Sal," he said to the cook as he carried the pans back into the kitchen. "You wanted me to head into town for supplies? I can go now, if you want."
Sal brightened. "Sure, Malone. Thanks for remembering." He pulled a crumpled list from his pants pocket. "Here's the list. Just charge everything to the Hamilton School. Go to the Southside Supermarket. We got an account with 'em."
"Will do," Malone said and removed his apron, then took the keys off the hook by the door. Outside the kitchen was the van used to haul those groceries that weren't delivered directly. He put on his sun glasses and climbed into the van and was soon on his way to Pahrump. The van rattled down the dirt road and eventually met the highway. That was when Bruce began to notice the billboards and his frown got deeper. When he'd learned that the school was located near Pahrump, Nevada, he'd smiled grimly. Pahrump, the city best known for the sheer number of legal brothels resident in the town. He passed the sign for the Chicken Ranch, then for Sheri's, then for half a dozen others. 'Shopping list', Jeremy had said. Some other kind of brothel might be operating in the shadows here, supplied by the school? If it were, he was pulling Dick off this case, right now!
During their years as the Dynamic Duo, Batman had taken great care to shield Robin from the more sordid crimes in Gotham…especially those that involved children his age. He suspected that Dick knew more than he let on, but it wasn't something that Bruce discussed with him willingly. Bad enough that the boy had been exposed to the level of violence out there, without seeing the face of pure evil so clearly.
He found the Southside Supermarket easily and talked to the manager. The shopping list was pretty basic. They needed some fresh staples that the Army surplus food didn't provide (here, Bruce's lip curled). He pulled the van up to the rear and the supermarket staff loaded it up with vegetables too old or overripe for ready sale, some bags of greening potatoes, raw meats just past their sell-by date.
While they were loading, Bruce cruised through the store itself. He found the granola and energy bars and looked through them carefully, finding a brand that he knew Dick liked. He bought a box of a dozen and took them to the checkout counter.
The disinterested clerk rang it up and asked, "Charge it to Hamilton School?"
"No," Bruce smiled, showing his crooked teeth. "They're for me. Here," he reached out a battered wallet and peeled off some bills. "That oughta cover it."
She snapped her gum and nodded. "Okay," she said and put the bars into a plastic bag. "Anything else I can getcha?"
"No, that's fine," Bruce said. "I better go see if my van's ready. Thanks!" When he got back to the school, he'd find a way to slip the box into Dick's bed, so he'd find them tonight. Let him wonder who had left them there. And tonight, the Batman was going to have a quiet little chat with Jeremy.