Home to You (17 page)

“I don’t believe her though. She told us Meghan was getting rid of the beer and tossed it out. She got it from there.”

Chase shook his head. His thoughts were jumbled.

He felt as if he’d walked into someone else’s life. This couldn’t be happening with his daughter. Not again.

Things had been starting to turn around until this. “She’s lying,” he stated flatly.

“The question is, why is she lying? Who is she covering for?” Mr. Zimmerman studied Chase. “Could she have brought the alcohol from home?”

Chase shook his head. “I don’t drink—ever. I know I did a few times when I was a kid but that was before I became a Christian and when I was acting out.”

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“I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree then, does it, Mr. Sandoval.”

He really wanted to punch the principal for that re-mark. Chase could tell that Zimmerman had marked Sarah as a bad kid who was never going to change and that made him furious.

“Someone gave it to her,” he informed the principal.

“These excuses keep coming up, Mr. Sandoval,”

Zimmerman answered. He slid his hands into his pockets, causing his suit jacket to bunch up. “I’m not interested in excuses. I’m interested in Sarah.”

Chase’s anger faded. “So am I.”

“You need to discover why she’s acting out.”

Chase felt like a broken record as he repeated, “Her mother died recently.”

Mr. Zimmerman nodded. “I understand that. But Sarah seemed to be changing lately, until today. What is it that keeps triggering her anger? As a parent, I think you really need some counseling on this.”

Chase resisted the idea. “What’s that going to help?”

Zimmerman frowned. “She’s not talking to you, that’s obvious from her reaction when she saw you come in. A mediator might help you two work through her grief and open up to each other. She seemed upset and scared when you walked in, which is a good sign. I’ve seen a lot of kids who didn’t care if their parents knew what they did or not. With that in mind, I would really suggest you see someone to try to get to the bottom of why she’s doing these things.”

He resisted the idea but answered, “I suppose I could make an appointment with Pastor Ryder.”

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“He does a lot of counseling. That might be a good idea,” the principal agreed.

Zimmerman turned to go back into the gym. He called to the teacher and had her come out and then nodded toward the door. Together Zimmerman and Mrs.

Patterson left.

Chase took a deep breath and pulled open the door to go into the den of contention.

Sarah sat on the bench in front of the lockers. The locker room wasn’t much different than the boys’ locker room had been all those years ago. Pale green lockers, stacked double, lined the wall, with four benches the same color sitting in the room on the concrete floor.

Showers lined the far wall and a huge bucket for trash sat right by the door.

Sarah had been crying. Though she quickly dashed away the tears, Chase saw the telltale signs in the red-tipped nose and swollen eyes.

He softened, but then forced those feelings away. He couldn’t let her think this was acceptable behavior. He rested his left hand on his gun while his right hand gripped his cowboy hat. Crossing over, he sat down on one of the other benches, both to keep from shaking her and to keep from hugging her.

He had never been so angry in his life.

They both sat in silence for a minute before he finally said, “What did you think you were doing? Beer!” His voice rose. “You’ve only just turned twelve!”

“So what do you care?” she shouted back and started to get up to run out of the locker room.

“Sit back down. Now!”

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She plopped down on the bench and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Who gave you that beer? And don’t tell me it was Meghan.”

Her chin went up in the air.

Okay, though he wanted to know, and was determined to find out, he’d try a different tack. “Do you have any idea what alcohol will do to your brain and your liver? And at your age, if you start drinking, you’ll end up in juvenile hall. Not only that, you won’t be able to hold down a job, and if you ever get a driver’s license, you’ll end up in a wreck, either killing yourself or worse, someone else who is innocent. Would you like to hear the statistics?”

He started quoting her the stats but she sat there like a statue.

“What do you have to say for yourself?”

She shrugged. “I didn’t mean for the teacher to see it.”

Fresh waves of anger swept through him. “I’ll bet you didn’t. So, tell me, how many other times have you had beer and not been caught?”

Her lower lip trembled and then firmed up. “None,”

she replied as sarcastically as possible.

He forced himself to sit still and prayed for help to keep from jerking his daughter up and shaking her.
Why
is she being this way, God?

His wife’s face floated into his thoughts and his anger faded. She’d done such a good job with Sarah. He was a total failure as a father. She’d started getting into trouble and it seemed no matter what he did, it only got worse.

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“Fine then. You’re not going to be honest with me.

But there’s someone I think you’ll be honest with. Pastor Ryder.”

Her eyes widened and she dropped her arms. She once again looked like his little girl. “Please, Dad. I don’t want to tell him.”

He thought briefly about giving in. She looked so young and innocent. But so many of the criminals who came into his office looked the same way. He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Sarah. But we’re going to go to counseling.”

“Counseling!” She jumped up, shock in her voice.

“What did you think I meant?” he asked, bewildered.

“I thought you were going to make me tell him so Meghan would get in trouble.”

His mouth thinned. “Oh, you’ll tell him, but Meghan isn’t going to get in trouble because she didn’t give you that can. And then you’re going to tell Dakota just why you find it necessary to have beer in the first place, to hang around kids who are causing trouble and why you’re lying.”

“I don’t want to go,” she insisted.

He shrugged, feeling very old and very tired. Standing, he said, “You no longer have a choice. I’m not letting you head down the wrong path, Sarah. I don’t care to what lengths I have to go. I love you too much.”

Her eyes filled with tears even as her face hardened.

It hurt him to see that look. “We’ll go to Pastor Ryder and you are going to talk to him and we’re going to get to the bottom of this, no matter how long it takes.”

When she didn’t say anything, he turned toward the door. “Come on. You’ve been suspended from school
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for the next three days and I have some chores I want you to do.”

“Chores?”

Chase pushed open the door of the gym. “Oh, yeah.

If you think you are going to have three free days while you’re out of school, think again. The list in my mind is growing even as I walk. As a matter of fact, I can think of so many things, you’re liable to be busy for the next month.”

Miserably Sarah walked past him as he pulled out his cell phone to call Dakota and set up a time to talk about his budding juvenile delinquent.

Chapter Fourteen

The night breeze had turned cooler. No longer were there any leaves on the trees except for the evergreens that dotted some of the front yards along the block.

Meghan pushed at the ground, rocked the swing on the front porch and sighed contentedly.

Dakota wasn’t home yet. Carolyne and Meghan had shared dinner with each other and now they were on the porch.

Meghan pulled her sweater about her. “I’m going to hate when it gets colder and I can’t be outside. The air here is so wonderful.”

Carolyne nodded. “It won’t be long. The chill makes me think we’re going to have a bad winter.” Carolyne shifted in her chair and reached for her hot cup of coffee. Turning back to Meghan, she confided, “I have our ideas drawn up and was planning on talking to Dakota tonight—”

She paused and then chuckled when she saw him coming down the street in his compact.

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“Guess you can. Should I go in?” Meghan asked as she started to get up.

“No,” Carolyne halted her with a shake of her head.

“You’re part of this. Stay.”

Meghan thought it would have been nice for Dakota and his mom to have some time alone, but since Carolyne didn’t seem to want it right now, Meghan eased back down into her seat. She was on her cane tonight.

Evidently she’d done too much yesterday, because she’d woken up today and found she was having trouble walking again.

As Dakota strolled up, Carolyne asked, “Have you eaten?”

He nodded. “I grabbed a sandwich on the way home.”

Glancing at Carolyne, Meghan felt her face heat and was glad it was twilight out. She had no business feeling what she did for this man. He was a friend from ae-ons ago and it was best kept that way.

“So, what have you two been up to tonight?” He walked up the stairs and took a seat next to his mom, facing Meghan.

Carolyne smiled. “Something that I’d like to discuss with you.”

Surprised, Dakota turned toward his mother. “This sounds serious.”

“In a way.” Carolyne leaned back in the chair and clasped her hands, as was her habit. “Did you know Meghan was in a shelter for a short time in Fort Worth?”

Dakota glanced back at her and sympathy was in his eyes. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

She shrugged, embarrassed. Carolyne continued,
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however. “She was attacked there and the drug use was rampant.”

Dakota started up out of his seat as if to come over to her but his mom stopped him. “She’s fine. She wasn’t hurt but that just underscores what I’m saying. Can you imagine Meghan, who has done nothing, being hurt in one of those places?”

Dakota found he didn’t want to think about it. Meghan nearly raped. His pulse pounded in his ears.

“I want to open a shelter here.”

Dakota turned back to his mom, his fear for Meghan pushed aside. “What? But you just said—”

“Exactly, son. We need a good shelter here. Have you seen all the people on the streets? These are hard times for many. And if they can’t take a bath, they can’t interview for a job. If they’re hungry, how can they concentrate on filling out an application? Meghan and I have discussed the idea and she is willing to help me. She had planned to go out and get a job, but she’s agreed to live at the shelter full-time and help run it. She needs a job.

We need a shelter. And I—this is something I think I’ve wanted to do for a while though I’m only now realizing it.”

“But Mom,” Dakota started. His thoughts whirled.

Two women in charge of a shelter? That was too dangerous.

“Chase has looked over our initial plans and wants to help as well. He is a great carpenter—remember when he was a teenager? And we’d screen the people we accept in.”

“Your mom has been very thorough,” Meghan added.

Frustrated, Dakota ran a hand through his hair. “The
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church will never go for it. I’ve tried to open a shelter before.”

“We’re not going through the church,” Meghan said quietly.

His gaze shot to hers and then to his mom’s. “Well then, how?”

Carolyne laughed. “You’ve been a pastor too long, honey. There are other ways of helping the community.

And if we start it up, unlike you, we don’t have to get the elders’ approval.”

“But what about finances?” he asked.

“There are grants that we qualify for and I can get a business loan if I have to.”

“Where would you put the shelter?”

“One of the empty buildings downtown.”

Dakota winced. The Bennetts would love that. But then, on the other hand, he had wanted to see a shelter opened since he’d taken over the church. “You know,”

Dakota said, thinking of the building he’d wanted to rent for the youth, “if you go through a Realtor other than the one I’ve been using, the huge building we wanted for the youth would be available, and at a good price.”

His mom laughed. “Thank you, honey. I’ll show you the plans and tell you what we’ve been discussing, but first—”

Dakota saw his mother glance behind him toward the neighbors’ house.

“—I need to go talk to the sisters.” She stood. Leaning down, she kissed her son on the cheek and hurried down the stairs, leaving Dakota with Meghan.

The porch was quiet, the sound of the wind and the occasional car the only noise. He could hear his mom
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call out to the sisters and the two sisters reply as they started up a conversation.

In the near darkness, he could make out the planes of Meghan’s face. She was watching him, her eyes steady and sure. He also noticed the cane by her leg, resting on the chair.

“How are you today?” he asked.

“Good. And you? You look tired.”

He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Been busy as usual. I had several scheduled meetings, as well as a few unscheduled ones. Hospital visits, home visits. Worked on my sermon in between. We broke ground today for the new youth section, and I had to meet with city officials about that, and on the list goes.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time, and he wondered what she was thinking. The sound of his mom’s laughter drifted across the lawn.

“You’re trying to do everything yourself.”

Her voice was so soft, he almost didn’t hear her. When it registered what she’d said, he sat up. “Excuse me?”

“You’re tired, Cody.” She used his childhood name.

“You leave before light many days and get back after dark. You’re spreading yourself so thin that you’re losing out on so much.”

Offended, Dakota smiled tightly and explained, “I’m only doing my job.”