Shelter from the Storm

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a/n: It's September...Back to school nights looming in our lives? The dreaded teachers' conferences? Imagine how Ranger feels!

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY, please call -

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[Ranger]

''Mr. and Mrs. Manoso, please come in.'' The headmistress of Fernwood Country Day School gestured to the visitors chairs and sat herself behind her big mahogany desk. She smiled coolly and added, ''Coffee? Bottled water?''

Steph said, ''Not right now. Thank you for seeing us so quickly.''

The woman, Katherine Hitachi, dragged her eyes off me and said, ''Yes, I was happy to be able to find the time. I understand that Zoë had a rather unhappy day here yesterday...?" Her voice trailed off as if that were inconceivable and Steph's eyes narrowed.

Unhappy day seemed to be putting it mildly, in my opinion.

Yesterday was my day to pick up Zoë after school. The littlest children always filed out first and their parents or caregivers had to be on hand to greet them. Security at the school was fairly tight, it's one of the reasons we chose it. I waited at the curb, leaning on my Cayenne's bumper, ignoring the leers of the mommies and nannies. Geez, you'd think they never saw a man before, they looked hungry, like they wanted to eat me up. Yuck. I glanced around the crowds of adults and marked the positions of Zoë's bodyguards, two of my best young Rangeman operatives. They didn't go into the school with Zoë but they did discreetly keep watch. I put my sunglasses on and frowned, tried to broadcast scary vibes and hoped that the Rangeman guys didn't have to rescue me.

Then my little princess appeared. Usually Zoë ran to me screaming daddydaddydaddy and threw herself at me. Today she ran to me and said just once, ''Daddy,'' and held up her arms for a hug. I picked her up and she immediately clutched my neck, hiding her face in my shoulder. Hmmm. ''What's up, baby?'' I said, kissing her cheek and leaning back to see her face. She shrugged and popped her thumb in her mouth, hid her face again.

Zoë hasn't sucked her thumb for over a year but I didn't comment. I buckled her into her booster seat, cursing the NJ law that required her to be in the back seat. As we drove home I looked in the rearview mirror and said quietly, ''How was your day, chica?''

Shrug.

I added, ''What did you do today?''

''Had 'ssembly.''

I nodded. She went on. ''It was about police officers, how they are supposed to help little kids. Then we went back to our room and had a, a...a cussing group.''

''Cussing?'' I asked.

''You know, when you 'cuss what the people said or did.''

''Discussion?''

''Uh huh. And Ms Davis asked if we got lost or scared, who should we look for to help us.'' I nodded. ''An' I said I'd look for mommy or daddy or Uncle Tank or my Rangeman guys.''

''That's fine, baby.''

''Yes but she said, ''Well, what if they weren't there? An' I said they always are there so it wasn't a problem. I said my daddy would always take good care of me and that I'd always be safe.''

Shit.

''Then Mary Amber Barnhardt said, Well, everyone knows my big sister Julie got kidnapped and maybe my daddy wasn't such a hero after all.'' Zoë's voice wobbled at the end.

''You do know Julie was fine, right? Your mommy helped me bring her home,'' I said quietly.

Of course Julie had to shoot the asshole and save herself—and me—really. But let's not go there right now.

The dark curly head in my mirror nodded. I said, ''Then what happened?''

"I don't know, daddy, I wasn't born yet, then."

sigh. "Not with Julie, chica. What happened in class, in the discussion?"

''Joey Morelli said that his daddy would help too, if I ever needed him.''

''That's true.'' Morelli would do anything for Stephanie's child, probably any child. Good man, good cop...married to someone else now, thank god.

"...And that since his daddy is a policeman, maybe we could go to recess instead of talking about bad stuff. And Ms Davis said Good idea and that was the end.''

The end, my ass.

Now I fixed my best glare on Mrs. Hitachi and said, ''I don't send my daughter to a private school that costs more than Harvard undergrad so that she can experience unhappy days.''

''Well, of course not! But our personal safety program is very highly regarded. I have had no complaints ever.''

''You do now.''

''Mr. Manoso, I think it is—ah—delightful—that your daughter thinks you're some kind of superhero. But you do after all want her prepared for real life.''

''Zoë is four years old, Mrs. Hitachi.''

''Actually, it is Dr. Hitachi. I have a PhD—early childhood.''

I took a moment to unravel her bad grammar and decided that unlike Zoë's Uncle Anthony this woman did not get a PhD at an early age but that her degree was in the study of early childhood development.

I said, ''Whatever.''

She ignored me and went on, ''I am sure you too think it is important that a child thinks of a policeman as her friend, someone she can trust? As I am sure you do too. I mean, as a respected adult citizen, what do you think when you see an officer?''

''I think Oh look, my tax dollars at work, coming to arrest me.''

Stephanie gasped and then glared at me but Hitachi forced a smile and an inappropriate giggle and said, ''Oh surely you're joking! I understand from the background check we do on all our potential students that you are very highly thought of in the finest circles! Not just here in Hamilton County, but in Washington and NYC.''

She had dollar signs in her eyes.

Then she looked at Steph and added, ''And I understand that you and Detective Morelli have a very close relationship!''

Steph said, ''Excuse me?'' and rummaged in her big Coach bag, I was hoping not looking for her gun. We'd left our weapons locked in the Porsche. They were, rightly so, forbidden on school grounds. It was a state law, not just this woman's idea. It didn't bother me because, after all, it's not like I need a gun, people.

I thought the whole thing over carefully. I said, ''I don't want to pull Zoë out of her school, that would frighten and upset her even more. And right now I don't have any good answers to the situation, beyond asking for your assurance that this will not happen again.''

Hitachi nodded. ''Zoë is a wonderful child, we are very happy to have her. She is extremely outgoing and charming, and oh!—so very pretty! She does look a lot like you, doesn't she, Mr. Manoso? Truly beautiful...''

Now I narrowed my eyes, Enough, I thought.

Hitachi, oblivious, continued, ''And very intelligent, too. I think when we do our kindergarten placement testing in the early spring we'll find that she is very gifted. And she needs a school like Fernwood to nurture that.''

Steph said, ''I don't know.''

Hitachi looked at some papers on her desk. ''I see Zoë did come into school today so hopefully the assembly will have positive long term effects.''

''Yeah, right,'' said Steph, ''as opposed to the short term effects, meaning that my daughter spent the evening sucking her thumb , eating birthday cake and watching Gossip Girl.''

''You let her watch Gossip Girl !'' gasped Hitachi.

Steph said, ''You told her she could be kidnapped!''— mocking the woman.

''And cake? I didn't realize it was her birthday.''

Steph said coldly, ''It wasn't!''

I said, ''Let it go.'' I thanked Hitachi for her time and we left. In the car I said to Stephanie, ''Any ideas?''

''No. Being a parent is hard, isn't it? I just hope...''

''Babe. She'll be fine.''

And of course she was. However Mary Amanda Barnhardt, the nasty litle twit who told Zoë I'm not a superhero, came down with an unexpected, and fortunately mild, case of chicken pox.

Just a coincidence.

Really.

the end of story/ series tbc