CAPTURED INNOCENCE (3 page)

“Six, three, zero.”

Rolling over, Jo groaned
then smacked the bed with the palms of her hands. “The zoo doesn’t open for two more hours.”

“I’m hungry, and we have to catch the bus.”

Jo opened one eye and peered at her son. “Thirty more minutes.”

“Mom
.”

She rolled out of bed and frowned. “Fine. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Pancakes.”

“Okay, cereal it is.”

“You asked me.” He frowned.

“I was teasing.
You know we only have cereal.” Jo smoothed her hair back with her fingers and slipped her feet into worn, pink, terry cloth slippers. “I’m tired, Alex. It’s my day off. Go easy on me.” She rose from the bed, wrapping the top blanket around her shoulders. “Let’s get your cereal and I’ll go try to grab a shower.”

Alex ran ahead of her, grabbed a bowl of sweetened corn chunks
, and added milk. He waved at his mother as she opened the door. She gave him a tired smile, grabbed their basket of bath supplies and terry robe then locked the door behind her.

Still wrapped in the worn blanket,
robe slung over her shoulder, she made her way down the hall to the bathroom which serviced those living on the third floor. She breathed a sigh of relief to discover its availability.

She had to lift the door a little and wiggle the latch to get it to slide and lock. She stuck out her bottom lip and exhaled
to blow a stray lock of hair out of her face.

She folded
the blanket and set it on the closed toilet lid. Gross. Mold and mildew decorated the salmon colored tiles of the bathroom. The shower door was covered with hard water deposits, making visibility through the glass almost impossible.

Jo deposited four quarters into the allotted slots.
Careful not to touch the walls or lean against the shower doors, she turned on the faucet and closed the glass door. She hissed as the water sprayed too cold then adjusted to a more comfortable temperature. She stood, letting the water run over her head and through her hair.

Her head bowed, her shoulders slumped
, she rested her forehead against the tiles and closed her eyes. She banged her head not too gently against the shower wall. With a huge sigh, getting water in her nose, she straightened and reached for the bottle sitting next to her.

She squirted shampoo in her hand and quickly lathered her hair. Last time she’d showered, the water had shut off and she’d had to deposit more quarters in order to rinse her hair. Quarters she could ill afford to spend.

Five minutes later, she stepped out, toweled dry, then slipped into the thread bare terry robe she’d brought with her. She fought with the latch on the door again, slammed the door open, and ran into the paunch of Mr. Every.

“What a pleasant surprise
.”

“Mr. Every
.” She nodded and moved to step past him.

His arm shot out and trapped her between the door and him. “Been thinking about my proposition yesterday?”

“Not really.” Jo tried to sidle past him.

Mr. Every stepped sideways, keeping her in front of him. “Life could be easier…and more pleasant.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “For both of us.”

“For you, maybe.” Jo ducked and escaped. She scurried back to her apartment. She stopped at the door and turned. Mr. Every watched her. She pushed the door open and rushed inside.

“Who’s ready to go to the zoo?” she asked.

Alex jumped up. “Me.”

“Let me get dressed, and we’ll be off.” Jo ruffled her son’s hair and d
ucked into the privacy of the bedroom.

S
he dressed in faded blue jeans, a long sleeved red tee-shirt and tennis shoes. She tossed a lightweight denim jacket over her shoulders and grabbed a sweatshirt for Alex.

Mr. Every poked his head out of his apartment as Jo and Alex clam
bered down the stairs. The boy stuck his tongue out at the landlord. “Stop it.” Jo chuckled in spite of herself.

She grabbed her son’s hand, and they stepped into a sunny, cool day. Jo
’s spirits lifted. A large oak tree shaded the apartment complex, and warbling birds perched on its branches. She could almost believe they were like normal people.

Jo smiled
at people she passed and linked her hand with Alex’s to swing their arms. Her steps were light as they headed down the sidewalk. One man stood on a street corner. He looked vaguely familiar to her, and she glanced twice before continuing across the street. He smiled and waved. Her smile wavered as she returned the gesture.

Two streets over, Jo and Alex caught the bus to the city zoo.

Alex knelt on the seat, looking behind him while Jo stared out the window. The man stood on the sidewalk and watched the bus pass. Her brows drew together. Where had she seen him before? At work. He was the new bus boy.

She drew in a sharp breath.
And last night. He’d tried to stop her and asked if she needed help. Turning her head away from the window, Jo sat back against the seat.

Alex bumped her shoulder, and
she pulled him down beside her. “Sit still.”

“I’m looking at that man. He smiled at me.”

Jo whirled in her seat, heart thudding against her rib cage. “What man?”

Alex pointed and lurched forward
when the bus stopped. A crowd of people surged forward, and Jo strained to see the man her son had pointed out. She caught a glimpse of dark hair before the man disappeared down the bus steps. The bus boy had lighter colored hair. Who was this man?

Jo half-stood
and stretched her neck to see out the opposite windows. With a shake of her head, she sat back down. She was paranoid. She was sure the man was just what he seemed. A bored passenger amusing himself with a child. 

A half-hour later, the bus halted at the entrance to the zoo. Jo reclaimed
her son’s hand to keep him close as she navigated the crowd on the sidewalk. “Ready?” She smiled at him.

“Ready.” Alex skipped with excitement.

Jo dug the money from the pocket of her jeans and purchased their tickets.

“I want to see the monkeys first,” Alex
said.

“Don’t you want to follow the map?” Jo asked as he pulled her along in his wake. “We don’t want to miss anything.”

“Later.” He let go of Jo’s hand and ducked under the rope that separated the walkway from the enclosure. Alex pressed against the wires of the cage. Monkeys squealed and darted.

“Get back.” Jo pulled her son across the rope. “Stay behind this barrier. Understand?”

She looked up, and her eyes locked with the busboy from work. Her mouth fell open in surprise, then clamped shut. Was he following them? He’d been outside their apartment yesterday, on the sidewalk when the bus pulled away…and now here at the zoo.

The man smiled and continue
d down the path away from them. Jo grabbed Alex’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“Where? I’m not finished watching the monkeys
.” Alex continued to protest as his mother dragged him.

“Let’s go to the reptile house. You like snakes and lizards.” She shoved her hip against the door
and cast glances to each side of the building then entered the dim recesses. The reptile house was home to almost a hundred different species of snakes. A group of children dressed in royal blue tee shirts pressed against the glass exhibits.

Alex ran ahead
to ooh and aah over a mighty python. Jo leaned against the cool block wall and wiped sweat from her brow. A sliver of light cut through the gloom as someone entered the building.

Jo wait
ed for the person to turn the corner into the aisle where she stood. The footsteps stopped. A distorted shadow fell past the wall.

Fear knotted her stomach, and she pushed Alex on to the next exhibit. The footsteps continued. Jo whipped around
. The figure of a man ducked around the corner.

She urged
Alex on and tossed furtive glances over her shoulder but didn’t see the man again. Another cast of light, and an alarm sounded, signaling someone using the fire escape door.

She turned to watch her son push a button, illuminating a nocturnal exhibit. “Just push it once. You’ll make the animals dizzy.”

“They’re not animals. They’re reptiles.” When he’d finished, Alex shoved the exit door open with enough force to send someone crashing into the bushes next to the reptile building.

Jo pulled Alex close to her and turned. She glanced back. The man
from her job got to his feet and brushed himself off.

“Stay here,” she ordered Alex.

She marched up to the man and poked him in the chest with her index finger. She put her hands on her hips. “Who are you, and why do you keep following us?’

“I’m not following you.” The man tucked his shirt into his jeans.

“Yes, you are. What’s your name? Conrad something?”

He sighed. “Conley Hook.”

“Why are you following me?”

Conley put his hands up. “I’m not.” He waved his hand. “It’s a beautiful day. I’m new to town, and thought I’d spend it at the zoo.”

Jo narrowed her eyes. “Hmm-hmm.”

“Really.” He held out a hand to her. “
You’re Jocelyn. I’ve seen you at work, but since I just started I don’t know anyone.”

She stared at the offered hand for a minute. “I go by Jo.”

“No last name?”

“Thomas.” Jo turned to go.

“Wait. Since you’re here, and I’m here…”

“No.” She took Alex’s hand and walked away.

“I’ll buy the two of you an ice cream.”

Alex’s eyes brightened, and
his dark gaze darted from Jo’s face to Conley’s. Jo sighed and gave in to the inevitable. An ice cream at the zoo was a rare treat, one she couldn’t afford to give her son. “All right. Just an ice cream and then, we go our
separate
ways.” She gave her son a stern look, took a firm grasp of his upper arm, and led him to a picnic bench. “Be good,” she whispered. She wiped the seat with a napkin before sitting down.

Within minutes, Conley returned and handed them each a vanilla and chocolate swirl ice cream cone. “I didn’t ask which you preferred, so I got both.”

Jo ran her tongue across the icy creaminess. She closed her eyes and savored the treat. She didn’t know Mr. Conley Hook anymore than she knew the President, but if he
was
following them, sitting down and enjoying an ice cream would keep things out in the open.

“Why is your arm painted?” Alex asked Conley.

“Alex!” Jo’s eyes popped open. She’d noticed the tattoo on Conley’s arm. A fabric-draped cross, graced his forearm.

“It’s okay.” Conley rolled up his sleeve. “I’ve got a panther head here.”

Jo allowed her eyes to travel to his right bicep and on to Conley’s face. Intelligent blue eyes watched her under lashes too dark and long for a man. Dark blond hair covered his head. A curl fell forward to cover one eye.

He
brushed the lock away from his face and laughed. “Yeah, I’m pretty. It kind of dispels the tough guy image I try to portray.”

Jo snort
ed and took a big mouthful of her ice cream. His build didn’t match the shape of the man in the reptile house. Conley’s shoulders were bigger. His legs longer. But she still thought he was following them. Why? She half-listened as he tried to explain to a young child why he had painted pictures on his arms.

“I was bored one day
in jail and decided that when I got out, I’d get a tattoo.”

“You’re a convict?”
The ice cream stuck in Jo’s throat.

“
Ex
-convict,” he was quick to reassure her. “I’ve been released for a long time.”

“Hurry and eat your ice cream, Alex.” The thought of eating ice cream with a convict was ludicrous, and she
fought the urge laugh.

Conley’s hand shot out as she started to rise. “It’s okay, really. I was a juvenile in for stealing and racing cars. Nothing violent. That was fifteen years ago. I’m not the same man, or boy, I guess.”

Jo studied him. His eyes silently pleaded with her to understand.

“Please,” he
said. “Stay. Enjoy your ice cream.”

“All right.” She sat back down
. He stared unblinking at her. Jo fidgeted and looked away to transfer her attention to her son. She patted Alex on his shoulder and nodded. “Go ahead and finish.”

Conley stay
ed by them as they wandered the rest of the zoo. The man joked with Alex and carried him on his shoulders when his little legs showed signs of fatigue. He remained courteous with Jo and laughed when she jumped at a tiger’s roar. He cupped her elbow for support when they walked across a rough patch of ground, and he kept her and Alex supplied with cold bottles of water.

Eventually,
Jo grew comfortable in his presence. His attention, rather than causing her to feel like a confined prisoner, made her feel special and worthy. The man kept her and Alex laughing with tales of his naughty youth. She smiled and allowed herself the freedom to enjoy the day.