Chapter 45
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Early the next morning, Sue took Levi for a walk, and ended up at Tara's apartment. She knocked on the door. Tara answered, surprised to see her there.
"Did I forget we were supposed to meet?" Tara asked checking her watch.
"No. I was hoping to get my friend, who is really good with computers, to volunteer some 'off the books' time to a project." Sue asked, crunching her nose.
"Come in." Tara said. Sue walked in followed by Levi.
"I brought some breakfast… and coffee." Sue offered.
"Good! I'm starving! I've been cleaning the bathroom and hall closet all morning." Tara plopped on the couch, tucking her leg under herself. Sue handed Tara the bakery box and a cup of coffee. She took a bite of the pastry donut, then a sip of coffee. "Good stuff, thanks."
"You're welcome." Sue said digging in as well. "What time do you get up? It's barely nine." Sue teased.
"Yeah… well, let's just say, it was still dark out when I woke up. I hate weekends that start like this." Tara explained. "So, what do you need?" Tara asked while nibbling another scrumptious bite.
"Research." Sue said hesitantly.
"On?"
"That young woman's father. The one I was telling you about. And two other men who fathered two other little girls." Sue answered.
"What are you looking for?" Tara asked.
"Anything, honestly. The older one said her father took off right after her brother was born, she doesn't know any of the details. She has 2 young sisters whose fathers were involved with their mother. It sounded like they were very short romances- maybe even one night stands, or weekend flings." Sue explained.
"Wow. Poor kid." Tara said. "So we're looking for three men altogether?" She paused. "Hmm, never thought I'd say that!" She laughed, Sue joined her.
"Yeah. She needs some help." Sue paused for a long moment. "Tara, this needs to be kept quiet. If anyone finds out, it would cause bigger problems for her and the family. Can you do that? Investigate without raising even eyebrows?"
"Yeah, I can do that. I'm not sure how far I can go without someone asking, but I can tread lightly." Tara answered as she licked her fingers. "Love these donuts!"
"What do you need?" Sue asked. Tara reached for a notebook on the table near her. She made a list, ripped it from the pad and handed it to Sue.
"As much of this as you can get me will help. If nothing else, the children's names and birthdates." Tara said. Sue took the folded paper and pushed it into her pocket as she got up, checking her watch as she did.
"I've got to run. I'll get back to you. Will you be around? I'll text you." Sue said as she rushed out the door, heading to Anita's house. Tara tried to interrupt to remind her of their flower appointment, but Sue was off before she could.
Just past ten, after a stop at the grocery store, Sue rang the bell at Anita's. Jacob answered the door after peeking through the blinds of the front window.
"Miss Sue's here!" He yelled as he opened the door for her. He instantly grabbed a couple of the bags as he ushered her in.
"Hi Jacob." Sue said.
"Hi." He said in return. He headed to the kitchen. As soon as the others saw the bags come in, they all but jumped them. Sue yelped, dropping the bags and backing out of the way.
Anita poked her head out of the bathroom, hair tucked in a towel.
"Hey!" She yelled. "Knock it off!" She stormed to the counter, swatting the little ones away. "There's raw meat in these bags, you all know better than that. Where did your manners go off to today?"
"Sorry Niti." The little ones said as they backed off.
"Ms. Thomas, you really didn't have to." She said looking in at the meat. "But, thank you."
"You're welcome. I brought cookies. I hope that's ok." She asked.
"Yeah, it's fine. They don't get them normally." Anita said, putting the package up high in the cabinet. "It really means a lot, you bringing food- thanks."
"Yeah, no problem. So. I spoke to a friend of mine, and she's going to help me with the research. I need some information though." Sue began.
"What kind?" Anita asked.
A little blonde haired blue eyed girl toddled over to her, pulling on her shirt tale. "Niti… gapes?"
"We don't have any right now. Maybe I'll grab some tomorrow when we go to the store." Anita said to the little one.
"Uh, I actually brought some. I grabbed some bananas, melon, apples and pears. I know little ones love fruit." Sue offered.
"Well then… Let's get you some." Anita opened a bag, noticing a large bag of green grapes. She pulled off a small bunch, washed them, and cut them in half. When she was done, she put them in a bowl.
Jacob walked into the living room carrying a basket of laundry. He sat on the couch and folded, although not very neatly, the towels.
"Thank you Jacob. Did you finish your homework?" She asked him.
"Yes. Can we go to the library today?" He asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Maybe. We'll have to see, we do have company." Anita said.
"You have the kids do their homework on Saturday?" Sue asked.
"Usually they do it Friday night, but… I usually take them to story time at the library at one. Jacob loves a good mystery. Vinnie's into sci-fi. He doesn't usually come because he has football practice, so he'll leave me a list of books he wants. I get the little ones some bed time stories. I love doing free stuff." She chuckled. "In the summer, we go to the local theater and watch movies from ten years ago or so, all for the price of a box of spaghetti." She said.
"These kids really look up to you. You're doing an amazing job with them." Sue said.
"Thanks." Anita replied as they walked to into the living room.
"Wow, you have a great system." Sue said. "Really."
"I have to. If I didn't run this place like I do, it would be chaos. It works for us this way." She said.
"What do you do with Lanie and Lizzie when you go to school?" Sue asked.
"When I leave, so does Vinnie. Jacob goes to his friend Tyler's for the bus. I drop Lanie and Lizzie off at the day care that the tech school next to mine runs. Lanie is in the preschool program while Lizzie is just looked after." She explained.
"How do you pay for that?" Sue asked.
"We get assistance. My mother applied for a lot of things and most came through because she didn't have a job and there were so many of us. I get free day care, preschool, some food stamps, help with heat, which comes off the rent. Help with the rent on top of that. I don't own a car, so they give us public transportation vouchers if the kids have to go to the doctor's." Anita explained.
"What about when you're working?" She asked.
"Vinnie's home with them. He's old enough, and responsible enough to take care of them. Lanie sleeps through the night, so does Lizzie." She said.
"Wow." Sue said totally impressed.
"What about housework?" Sue asked. "This place is spotless."
"We work together. The little ones put stuff away, set the table and bring their dirty clothes to the basket so I can take it to work with me. The bigger ones do the bigger stuff. I clean the bathroom, kitchen and do most of the cooking. Vinnie cooks and cleans the living room and kids rooms. Jacob sets the table and clears it. He takes out the trash and plays with the little ones. The three of us take turns with the dishes. Lanie takes the dirty clothes to the basket and picks up her toys. She likes to help make lunches too." Anita explained further.
Sue was speechless.
"See, Ms. Thomas, we're a family. We are a well-oiled unit. We need all our parts to work correctly. If you open a case on us, they'll take the smallest of the parts away, and we need them to make this work. I don't want to lose my family. You and I both know that they'll never be able to keep us all together. Please…" Anita began.
"Anita, how long has your mother been gone?" Sue asked.
"Our mother left to get a six pack to 'celebrate' last Thanksgiving." Vinnie said.
"Vinnie!" Anita scolded.
"What? You might as well tell her." He stared at Anita. "Look, Ms. Thomas, our mother was a drunk and a junkie. Anita doesn't like to talk about it, but it's the truth. Before she left, this place was a mess. We had bugs and trash all over the place. Her leaving was the best thing that happened to us. Anita applied for more state help, and got it for us. We suddenly had food, and could go to the dentist. The only bad thing that's ever happened since she started taking care of us is we had to get rid of Daisy." He explained. "She hates to talk about that too, but it's true. When mom left and didn't return the next day, she started to clean the house. She went to the library to apply for the help. That's where she learned about story hour, and the free passes for the zoo and museums. She gave us all chores to do. She took a job to make some money. She's the only mother that Lizzie's ever known." He said as he broke into sobs.
"How old was the baby when your mother left?" Sue asked.
"Three weeks old. She wasn't even sleeping through the night yet. That was a tough couple of weeks." Anita answered.
"How have you made it all this time without any help?" Sue asked.
"The church helped at Christmas and Thanksgiving. The food pantries help too. I shop at yard sales and second hand stores for clothes. Shoes they get new, but clearance usually. Vinnie takes guitar lessons at the youth center, Jacob plays soccer there. We're fine." She said.
"You're more than fine. I'm impressed. I really am." Sue said. "Anita, you need to have a capable adult taking care of you. You are still a… you're still underage." She blew out a frustrated breath, then sat at the table.
"Would you like some water? Or Levi?" Anita asked, trying to soften the mood.
"Thank you. We would both like that." Sue answered. "Anita, I didn't come here to badger you about this. I came to help you. I came to find some information on anyone who might be able to help you out, maybe take you in." Sue said.
"I don't want to go anywhere. No!" Anita argued angrily.
"I want to try to find someone who would be willing to help at least. I have to." Sue said softly.
"It's your job, I know." Anita said with as much contempt as she could conjure up.
"Can't you help us?" The little voice of Lanie shot up. Sue looked down at her. "Can't you move in with us? You like us. You bring us cookies." She said with a big smile.
"I do like you, a lot honey, but I can't do that. I need to find someone who should be responsible, not just someone who could be." Sue said. "Do you understand?" Lanie shook her head and went back to playing.
"Look, I need to get the kids to the library so they can get a good spot for story time. It's puppet day today." Anita said, tears threatening once again. "Here." She said handing the key to her mother's bedroom over to Sue.
"Thanks." Sue said closing her hand around the key.
Sue's Black Berry vibrated. She turned it over and saw a message from Lucy.
"Hi… Did you forget about the flowers? We're supposed to be there for 2. Do we need to reschedule?" Lucy's text asked. Sue cringed as she grumbled.
"Sorry! Yes, I forgot. No, no reschedule. I'll meet you there." Sue hit send and headed right into the mother's room.
She flipped on the light switch, then stepped over piles of things in the bedroom to the window to open the shades to let more light in there. The room was piled with debris. It looked like a war zone. There were clothes, toys, and, as Anita had suspected, drug paraphernalia. There were medicine bottles strewn around the dresser. Some had the mother's name, others were unknown people. A couple of the addresses on the labels were of neighbors, and Sue thought she must have stolen them.
Sue reached in her pocket and took out a pair of gloves. She then took a bag from the other pocket. She began to pick up anything that looked dangerous. There were bags of weed with rolling papers tucked inside the baggies. She found a small vile of what she thought was probably cocaine. She put three packs of cigarettes with a half dozen lighters in the bag. She found some small baggies of what looked like crack, but Sue was no drug expert. She came across a few needles which she carefully wrapped in an old shirt she found on the bed and put into the bag. After an hour, she was comfortable she'd found all the drugs. The dresser drawers had been gone through, under the dresser, bed, side table, and between the mattresses. She'd found an ice pick that had been turned into a weapon, prison style. She found two large steak knives and a pistol, loaded with no safety. Sue emptied the gun, and sighed in relief that one of the little ones had come across it.
Sue began to hunt through the closet looking for info on the three men who had produced children who now were the sole reason for living for a sweet, scared seventeen year old. She found baby books, all filled out for the first three children. Their father's name there. One of the books had a family tree inside that had been filled in as far back as great grandparents. She was pretty certain they weren't alive anymore. Sue piled the books on the bed. She found a locked box under the bed. She took it into the living room, and put it on the coffee table. There were a few pictures of the children's mother with men. On the back of the pictures were the names Dusty and Jarrod. At least she had something to go by.
Once she was satisfied she had everything she needed, she collected everything and hauled it to the car, locking it in the trunk. She locked the bedroom and took the key with her, assuring at least one more visit to their house.
Sue called Bobby and asked him to meet her. Bobby came without even questioning. Sue handed over the bag of drugs and weapons.
"What's this?" He asked peeking inside. "Where did you find this?"
"Anyway we can put this somewhere safe without raising eyebrows? I'm trying to help someone." Sue said.
"This someone has this kind of a habit? They need more than your help there sweetheart." Bobby said.
"No, let's say this is an ex-roommates goods. There's been no sign of her in over six months, not likely going to just show back up at this point. I couldn't leave it there." Sue explained.
"No you couldn't. And you want to keep this on the QT why?" He asked.
"The less you know, the better. Just let's just leave it at I'm helping a friend. OK?" Sue said.
"I'll see what I can do." Bobby said putting the bag into an evidence bag. "You didn't touch any of this, did you?"
"Do I look like I just got out of Quantico?" Sue teased. "The gloves are in there too. Thanks Bobby. I gotta run… checking out flowers today."
"You bet." He said driving away.
Sue drove around the corner and hopped out of her car, and into the little florist shop. The air was pungent with the scent of every type of flower you could imagine. It was intoxicating. A middle aged woman with auburn hair, greying at the temples came out of the back room, holding a large group of mixed flowers.
"Hi! How are you today?" She asked, all but singing.
"Great, you?" Tara asked.
"I'm awesome. I'm Florence. What can I do for you ladies today?" The store clerk asked.
"I'm Sue Thomas. We have an appointment this afternoon. We're a little early." Sue said.
"Oh, great to meet you Sue." She held out her hand to each of the ladies, and all exchanged pleasantries. "You're getting married, right?"
Sue nodded, blushing slightly.
"What are your colors?" She asked.
"Midnight blue." Sue answered.
"When is it?" Flo asked.
"Christmas Eve." Lucy answered.
"Oooo… so many possibilities!" She was nearly giddy with excitement.
"Do you have any thoughts on designs? Do you want Christmas cactus or poinsettias? Are you getting married in a church?"
Sue said she was OK with anything the church would have already. It wasn't long before the flowers were chosen for the church, attendants, men, and Sue's bouquet. Sue put her credit card on the counter for a deposit. "Here, you might as well melt this thing." She said with a nervous giggle.
"It won't be that bad." Flo reassured her. She handed Sue a small arrangement to take home as a thank you for your business gift.
The ladies decided on coffee at the coffee shop down the street. Once they had their coffee, Sue whispered.
"Wow, this is suddenly all real." They giggled.
"Yep, won't be long now." Tara added.
"You excited?" Lucy asked.
"Yeah. Nervous too, if I let myself think about it too long." She said.
"You and Jack will be awesome together!" Tara reassured her.
"Thanks." Sue began.
"She's nervous about the wedding night!" Lucy teased. All three ladies laughed, Sue blushed.
"Have you decided on the job?" Lucy asked. Tara's eyes shot up.
"Job?" She asked.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Lucy began. "You didn't say anything to her?"
"No, I didn't, not yet. It's OK." Sue paused. "Yea. I was offered a very good job with a company as a speaker for their anti-bullying campaign. I'm seriously thinking about it."
"Wow, that's great news." Tara said.
"I haven't said anything yet because it would mean I would have to leave the bureau. Don't say anything, alright?" Sue asked.
Tara 'zipped' her lips.
"I think I found what you need for that research but I have to open the lock box first. I'm hoping it's paperwork, not drug supplies!" Sue said anxiously.
The ladies parted ways, Sue headed to Jack's to open the box. Jack had a pair of metal cutters, which Sue quickly put to work on the flimsy padlock.
Sue lifted the top to the old metal box.