“Aunts? Uncles?”
“My Uncle Donny. But he lives all the way in Brooklyn.”
“Can he take you in?”
And then I knew. I knew they weren’t going to let Ma go, no matter what I said. “No,” I said. “I’m not supposed to leave town.”
Her brow furrowed and then she really seemed to look at me. “Hold on,” she said. “You’re the girl the feds have been looking at along with that Schroder kid, right?”
I hung my head in shame. Now she knew everything. Now she would judge me, too, and next she’d probably be on the phone to CPS setting up some foster care for me. But when I looked up she was eyeing me curiously. “I’ve heard about you,” she said. “My best friend went to see you about a year ago. She was worried about her dad. He was sick in the hospital, and the doctors were telling her to prepare for the worst. They said he wouldn’t make it through the night. You told her that her dad was going to live another ten years. Damn if that old man didn’t make a full recovery, and he’s been running circles around the rest of us ever since.”
“I didn’t do it,” I whispered. For some reason I was desperate for her to believe me. The rest came out in a rush. “I didn’t hurt anybody, and neither did Stubby—Arnold. Mrs. Tibbolt came to see me, and she showed me her kids, and I only tried to warn her. And then we saw Payton at a football game, and I saw her deathdate, and I told Stubby about it, and he wanted to save her. That’s why he tried to talk to her. He was trying to save her. He wouldn’t hurt a fly, and neither would I. I swear!”
Dunn’s eyes widened a little at the tumble of words, but she was nodding. “I haven’t worked the case, but from what I hear, the feds are far from having an airtight case. How old are you, Madelyn?”
I swallowed hard and wiped my eyes. “Sixteen.”
The officer sighed. “Well, technically, you’re old enough to be on your own with a guardian’s consent, but personally, I think it’d be better for you to stay with someone else.” I stared at her in disbelief. Could that really be true? Had all my worry over CPS taking me away been for no reason? “Do you have any friends who might take you in while we get this sorted out with your mom?” Officer Dunn continued.
“Not really,” I said. I knew that Stubby’s mom would let me stay with her if I asked, but I hated to be a burden on her now that her son was in jail because of me.
Dunn sighed and stood up, hooking an arm under Ma’s shoulder she lifted her to her feet and managed to get Ma to shuffle toward the door. “Call your uncle, honey, and tell him you’ll be home alone and that your mom needs a lawyer. A good lawyer because this is her third DUI, and she’ll be facing some serious jail time. Then tell him to move here if he can. You need support and probably some good counseling. Leaving you on your own while you’re trying to juggle the investigation and school is a little much, and I’d hate to see you end up like your mom someday.”
She moved Ma out the door, and I had to suppress a shudder. I’d never end up like Ma. Never.
But then, did Ma ever think she’d end up like this?
I called Donny and got his voice mail. I tried his office, and his secretary told me he was in court. She promised to get the message to him the moment he checked in, and I was left to pace the floor. And then I couldn’t take it anymore. I called Mrs. Duncan, and she told me she’d be right there. True to her word, she arrived at the police station within twenty minutes, carrying a brown paper lunch bag and a thermos. She’d made me a meatloaf sandwich and hot chocolate. I wanted to hug her.
Midway through lunch, Donny called me back. When I told him about Ma, he hit the roof. I’d never heard him so angry, and even though I knew he wasn’t mad at me, I found myself getting defensive. Finally, he seemed to rein in his temper and he told me to sit tight, that he’d get to the station as soon as he could.
Donny arrived around three, and then we waited some more while he dealt with Ma. He came into the conference room looking stressed out to the max. “With the holiday, I can’t get her out until next week,” he said, sitting down and yanking at his tie to loosen it. “But truthfully, Maddie, I don’t know that I want to.”
“What?” I cried. “Donny, we have to get her out!”
But Donny only shook his head. “Maddie, given your mom’s blood alcohol content and the fact that this is her third strike, the judge might not even set bond. He’s far more likely to keep her in jail and force her to dry out until her trial, at which point I’ll be lucky to get her sentence down to under five years.”
I felt like I couldn’t breathe. Mrs. Duncan took my hand and squeezed it tight. “Let’s focus on staying positive, shall we?” she said.
Donny’s gaze flickered to her and he sighed. “You’re right, Cora. But Maddie needs to know that her mom’s not going to be coming home anytime soon. Which means she’ll have to move in with me. I’ll clear it with Faraday the day after tomorrow.”
I shook my head. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?” Donny asked sternly. “Maddie, you can’t stay here on your own.”
“Why not?” I challenged. “Donny, I’ve been taking care of Ma for the past couple of years. I’m the one who gets the groceries, does the laundry, makes sure Ma gets something to eat! I can manage okay.”
Donny tapped his fingers on the table. “What’s wrong with moving to the city?”
I sighed and stared down at my hands. “I can’t go back there, Donny. I can’t breathe when I’m there.”
Donny was silent for a long moment. I knew he understood. And then Mrs. Duncan spoke. “I could look in on her,” she said. “I live right next door and could easily make sure Maddie’s getting enough to eat and being taken care of.”