Page 23 of Back To Our Beginning

“Yeah, she lets me in, and the place smells like cigarettes and booze. You’d think I was in a bar. I’m in the living room and there are four overflowing ashtrays. I explain to Mrs. Farley I have to do an inspection of the house. She told me none of the other Department of Children’s Services ever did that.”

“Do you go for the kitchen first or the bathroom?”

“Kitchen. I need to find out if there’s food. There was hardly anything in the cupboard. Just some spaghetti noodles. When I looked in the fridge, there was mustard, ketchup and beer.”

“Fuck.”

“I took pictures of everything.”

“Betcha that didn’t make Mrs. Farley happy.”

“You’d be right about that.”

“I ask to see the children’s bedrooms. She is jumpy as hell, and that’s when I realize the kids are on the premises. Probably told not to make any noise. I demand to know where they are. She shows me their tiny bedroom with two beds. The ten-year-old, Bobby is huddled in the corner with his arms around his two sisters. The girls look scared as hell.”

“Do you get to take them out of there?”

“I wish. I insist on talking to the kids alone. Even Bobby is afraid to talk to me. I recorded the session. I ask them when they last ate, and they can’t remember.”

“You must have been pissed.”

“You can say that again. On my way to McDonald’s, I call my supervisor. She says there’s not enough cause for me to take them out of there. Which I knew, dammit. Hence the trip to McDonald’s. Farleys are pissed, but I don’t give a shit. I sit in the bedroom and eat with the kids. Bobby talks just a little more. He seems like a resourceful kid, so I gave him my cell number. I told him to call me if he has any problems.”

“And?”

“What do you mean and?”

Beau smirked. I bit into my next slice of pizza because his smirk irritated me. After four big bites, I set down the remaining crust and looked him in the eye. “Nobody likes a know-it-all.”

“And?”

“Fine, I went to Publix and bought groceries. So, sue me.”

Beau looked around my house. “Do you rent, or do you own?”

“That’s none of your damned business.”

“Just answer the damn question.”

I lifted my chin. “I own.” I still appreciated my zero percent loan I got from Evie and Aiden. It gave me the ability to do the job I love and not live hand to mouth.

“Well, that’s good. I know teachers are constantly buying classroom supplies, hell, Marlowe talks about it. How often are you buying things for foster kids?”

“Not all that often,” I lied. “The system has specific stipends for the kids and it’s my job to make sure that the money is paid out for them. Trust me, I squeeze the county for every cent owed to these kids.”

“You’re still a liar.” He got up and picked up our plates and took them into the kitchen. I followed him. When I started going through the Hostess treats, he caged me in and looked over my shoulder. “Choose carefully, Maddie,” he whispered. His breath teased the drying hair at my temple.

I trembled. I quickly grabbed a package of Ho Hos and ducked under his arm.

“Scaredy cat.”

“Smart cat,” I refuted.

He picked up his cherry pie, and we stood there in silence as we ate our treats.

“What are your next steps with the Hollister kids?”

“With my photos and the little bit I got Bobby to admit, I’ll take that into my supervisor. She’s a good woman. A fighter. She’ll take it over to the department in charge of reviewing and selecting foster families. They’ll make a determination if the Farleys are unfit. In the meantime, I’ll be making more unannounced visits.”